


Out of Darkness

by DirtyCavePainter



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Domestic Violence, F/M, Healer Draco Malfoy, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2019-09-02 07:46:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 38
Words: 63,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16782697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DirtyCavePainter/pseuds/DirtyCavePainter
Summary: Three years after the war, Hermione is a broken woman. Draco is a healer with an exclusive private practice that specializes in women. Draco has fought off his darkness, while Hermione is struggling with her own. Will they succumb to the darkness that threatens to pull them both in? Or will they find light in the darkness?





	1. Broken

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

Warning: This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

Chapter 1: Broken

As she walked through the small clearing, the grass tickled her bare legs and crackled beneath her bare feet. She trailed her fingers through the long grass, feeling its dry texture. The sun was warm, but a breeze soothed her flushed skin as she walked. Small, tinkling laughter filled the air, getting louder as she walked closer. She saw two heads peek out as the children ran through the tall grass giggling as they played their game of tag. She reached a small clearing and walked towards a picnic blanket that had been laid out near the edge of the clearing. A man was sitting, back turned, on the blanket.

His hands were stretched out behind him and he was looking upwards, whether his eyes were closed or opened, she could not tell. He was far away, but not. His features were in soft focus, somehow black and white amidst the color. She was curious, she wanted to see his face. She started to walk closer and closer, but he started to fade into the grass. The world was fading. Everything was turning to dust. She started to run towards the fading form. He was fading faster and faster. He started to slowly turn towards her. She was nearly there, almost able to touch his hair. He was faded so much that his form was becoming impossible to make out.

One more step.

She could almost touch him.

All she had to do was reach out with her hand….

A hard tug on her hair pulled her out of her daydream. Three years. It had been three years. Three years since the end of the war. Three years since he started the drinking. Three years since anyone cared. Every night was the same. He came home drunk, yelled at her, beat her, and if that wasn't enough, he forced himself on her. She had stopped fighting a long time ago. It wasn't worth the pain to fight. Every night, she crawled to her hiding place. Away from his insults and his punches and kicks. The hand curled in her hair tightened even further and pulled. She stifled a whimper. He liked it when she cried in pain. His thrusts against her thighs and ass quickened. She mentally breathed a sigh of relief. He had been in a bad mood today, and bad moods meant more bruises. He was nearly done. It was nearly done. She could crawl away and try to heal her wounds, her physical ones at least.

He finished with a grunt and pushed her away. She felt his release staining her thighs and she toppled to the floor. Her exhausted body could barely stand, much less withstand even a soft push. His drunken gaze was on her, pale cheeks flushed. He brushed the hair out of her face, almost lovingly. His fingers brushed across her cheekbones, across the bruises that lay there. She winced at the pain and a look of concerned flashed on his drunken face. That look was soon over taken by a yawn. He patted her on the head and finally made his way to the bed. He didn't bother putting on any clothes as he slumped into bed. She began to make her way toward the open bedroom door. His snores made her relieved. There were nights when he would demand more from her.

Those nights were ones that left scars.

Her crawl was agonizingly slow, but that was all she could manage. After what seemed to be a lifetime, she made it to her destination. She yanked open a small floor cabinet and lifted herself inside. As the door closed, soft lights began to glow in the same space. The space was her only reprieve in her hellish existence.

She had enlarged the space a few years prior when he had started to get more and more violent. By no means was it big, but it was enough to house herself and a small collection of things she didn't want him to find such as pictures of her parents, a few treasured books, and other small mementos from the past. He had found other precious things and had destroyed them simply to make her beg and cry not to. She slowly made her way to her makeshift bed, slowly running her fingers over the photo frames that lined the way. Her bed was simple, made with a blankets and linens that she knew wouldn't be missed. She had to sneak a pillow from a charity box outside the apartments. She missed an actual bed, but nothing would make her sleep with him.

It had been years since she had.

Grimacing in pain she grabbed the small towel from a basket and began to clean herself. She had to do it the muggle way as she only had access to her wand during work hours, and while her use of wandless magic was impressive, she knew she was too exhausted to attempt anything. She rubbed the towel along her thighs and between her legs. The towel was stained bright red.

It wasn't the first time and it had been getting more frequent. She threw the towel back in the basket which was full of other towels in the same state. She leaned against the smooth wood of the back of the cabinet and reached for a jar beside her pillow. She spread the blue lotion against her skin. The dark bruises disappearing as she rubbed the lotion in. The colors disappeared but the pain was left. She was lucky she had the cream. She was allowed to make it when she ran out. He didn't want anyone to see. He seemed ashamed of the bruises in the light of the day. Sometimes he would even rub the lotion in for her. Those were the days she recognized the old him. He was scared that if someone saw, they would take her away. He didn't want that. She didn't bother with clothes. She never did. All she had strength for was to pull a blanket around her small form. She pulled her legs into self and cradled her stomach. She knew she was pregnant.

It had come as a surprise. He was usually careful, but he had been more violent as of late. She had been vomiting for weeks before she had sense to cast the charm while out of sight of her coworkers. She was only a few weeks along now.

She wasn't happy.

She didn't want this.

Once, she had wanted it. But, now? No, she didn't want it anymore. Sometimes, she had seen the old him reappear. But the old him came out less and less. He was so twisted. She couldn't let the twisted him be around a child and she doubted a child would bring him back from the darkness he had succumbed to. So, she had done the only thing she could think of, she had found someone to…take care of it. Tomorrow she had an appointment with a private doctor that she had found through pure coincidence. The man was supposedly discrete, and that was something she needed more than anything. No one needed to hear about her condition.

He had sometimes expressed his want for a child one day, but how could she bring a child into this hell? That was the old him that expressed that want. She doubted that a child would fare any better than she did, though she hoped it would be spared from rape. He wasn't that depraved, was he? She had been careful in arranging the appointment. He was always watching her at work, always had tabs on her whereabouts. Luckily a request from the head of her department gave her an excuse to be in Diagon Alley. It just so happened that the entrance to the practice was by the building which held the archives for rare magical objects through the centuries. A fake name, the last of her galleons from her inheritance, and a standard Ministry owl had secured absolute secret. Tears that had threatened for weeks streamed down her face, dampening her pillow.

She hadn't cried in a year, but this was too much. She had lost everything and tomorrow she would lose something else that could have been. In that small room, under that blanket, was not the woman she once was. That brilliant woman was gone. In her place was a weak woman who was nothing more than an empty shell. She closed her eyes and wept for everything she had lost.

Hermione Granger was broken.

A sigh escaped his lips as he rubbed his palms against his eyes. He scratched at the light stubble on his jaw. It had been a long day and he was running low on caffeine. He had one last patient for today, then he could finally start of the piles of paperwork that had accumulated on his desk. He summoned the file containing the correspondences from his mysterious last client. To be fair, the majority of his clients were mysterious just in case the letters to him were intercepted. His practice was an exclusive, need-to-know establishment specializing in healing of the female nature. His practice was known in the inner circles of society for taking care of "embarrassments".

Young women from the upper crusts of the elite flocked to his practice, alone or under pressure from their families. All the of the young women were afflicted with the same thing, an unwanted pregnancy. Unwed girls that were with child were an embarrassment to their families, their worth lower to nothing. Who would want to marry a girl that had slept around? Pureblood men wanted pure women. He had always thought it was because these 'pure' women were easier to control. Yet, families cared about old traditions so, he put them "right". The families knew their reputation as well as their daughter would be kept pure thus allowing these arranged marriages to continue. He also specialized in a complex spell, one of his own inventions. The spell repaired a torn hymen thus turning "soiled" girls into pure virgins.

Perfect for those fucking pureblood marriages.

The remaining sacred 28 elites held true to old traditions, including those dictating the condition of the bride. Turning back to the parchment sheets in his hands, he studied the perfect, precise script. Nothing indicated the person's identity. The only certainty, of course, was that the writer was a woman. The majority of all the correspondences he received were unsigned, at least visibly. He required patients to sign each reply with their magical signature. Each magical signature was unique, and it allowed him to keep a tight security around his practice. The hidden entrance to the lobby only opened to the specific signature of the person whose appointment it belonged to. Persons requiring a chaperon would be instructed to include magical signatures of who would be accompanying them or if it was the guardians of the young lady, they would need to include the young ladies' signature. Young girls usually had a chaperone, even those who came without their parent's knowledge.

A well-bred lady would never be allowed in the room with a man unaccompanied. Some young women brought a friend, but he also offered his secretary for ladies who couldn't find anyone who would come with them. All the others who sought him out, never used chaperones. They were mistresses and high-class escorts for the most part, so their purity was not on their mind, they merely valued his discretion. He wondered what type of unaccompanied woman this client was. She had declined the use of his secretary and had not included any other magical signatures. He was betting that it was a mistress given the neat handwriting and frank explanation of her problem. Escorts were scarcely more than pretty faces, mistresses on the other hand were sought out for their intelligence and skills.

Whoever she was, she had paid handsomely for his utmost confidentiality. Perhaps a mistress from someone high ranking. Glancing at his watch, curiously muggle in nature, he discovered he wouldn't have to wonder about her identity much longer. He began to straighten his desk, clearing away various requests and patient files left over from his lunch break. He pulled a new patient chart from the file of correspondence from the patient and positioned a quill beside it. He made sure his patients were aware of his security of their files, they were unreadable to anyone except him. That had been an endeavor that had taken a month of nonstop work, a little of his blood, and patience. He ran his hands down his robes, smoothing down wrinkles that had set in as he had hunched over his work. A small tinkle of a bell sounded downstairs and after a few minutes, footsteps began to make their way up the stairs to his office. The footsteps drew closer and finally stopped in front of his door.

A knock sounded, and his secretary open the door slightly and poked her head through the gap, "Your last patient to see you."

His secretary knew better than to refer to him by name before he met the patient face-to-face. His anonymity was just as precious as his patients'. The old woman pushed the door open fully and ushered a woman through the door. The woman slumped timidly in the room, her head down and feet shuffling. For a few seconds he didn't recognize the woman, but as he looked closer, he couldn't believe what he saw.

The woman before him wasn't what he remembered. Her once rebellious curls hung lank and unkempt around her face. They were dark, no longer the sun-lightened honey curls he remembered. He knew she had always been small, even in school she had been dwarfed by nearly everyone even by a few tall first-years. This woman, however, seemed even smaller. Her once merely slim body was sickly thin. He could tell even through her numerous winter layers.

He remembered the woman she had been only three years ago, but Draco Malfoy was sure that Hermione Granger was no longer that woman.


	2. See

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

Warning: This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

Chapter 2: See

Hermione looked around her small little office. It was hardly more than a broom closet, but it was hers. Being a relatively low-level investigator in the Misuse of Magic Office allowed her the freedom of not being noticed, not that she was noticed anyways. Her plain, small form was better camouflage than a notice-me-not charm. It allowed her to disappear, at least for a few hours, even when he was keeping close watch on her. She needed to be unnoticed more than anything today. Her appointment was at 3:30 and she was lucky that her research assignment was close to the clinic. She could slip away in time to make her appointment and would not arouse any suspicions with him. He knew where she was being sent today and had grunted his permission at her when she had mentioned it last week.

It was still early in the day when she told the office secretary that she was going to complete her assignment. She walked to the apparition point and with a pop, landed in Diagon Alley. She walked, still head down to Obscure Objects which specialized in the creation of magical objects. It also housed one of the most complete archives of magical objects in Europe. The research was completed quickly and glancing at her watch, she saw that she still had an hour left before her appointment. She waved goodbye to the old man manning the counter and headed to a small café for something to calm her. With a small cup of chamomile in her hands, she sat staring out of the window, enjoying the simple pleasure of just being alone. As she slowly drained her tea, small tears leaked down her cheeks. As she drank the last dregs, she brushed the wetness off her cheeks.

She rose from her seat and started to head towards the end of Diagon Alley. She looked for a small alley sandwiched between a small bookstore and a robe shop. She spotted it and quickly glanced around to make sure she was alone. Once she was certain no one was following her, she slipped into the alley. Spotting the pattern described in the last correspondence with the doctor, she recalled the rest of the instruction given. She placed her hand on the center-most brick of the pattern and the pattern gleamed a soft gold. The bricks shimmered and transformed into a door. Grasping the handle, she pulled, and let herself in. Stepping inside, she was met with a small, cozy room.

It looked no different from any other doctor's office she has been to, muggle or magical. An older matronly woman sat at a desk situated at the back of the room next to a staircase heading up. As Hermione approached the desk, the woman pushed off her small reading glasses and set down the book she was reading. She gave Hermione a warm smile, "Oh hello dearie. You must be our 3:30. Just set your hand on this piece of parchment and I'll get you all signed in." Hermione cracked a small smile at the motherly nature of the woman. She reminded her of Mrs. Weasley in some ways. Oh, how she missed her. She placed her hand on the parchment that the older woman indicated. It flashed gold and she felt a warmth flow through her body, leaving just as fast as it had come. Hermione let out a small gasp at the sensation.

The woman gave her another smile, "Oh that's just a wee bit of a protection charm. Just another assurance for everyone."

As if noticing the young woman's worried gaze, she added "It won't harm you dearie. Just makes sure silence it kept by doctor and patient alike. Nothing at all dark 'bout it."

Hermione relaxed and nodded. The woman took the paper and place it in a file she had out on the desk. The old woman smiled once again at her and told her that they would be heading up the stairs. Hermione followed the old woman surprised at her pace moving up the stairs. The woman kept up some small talk, mainly on the weather in which Hermione made appropriate noises to. The stairs opened into a small hallway with a door at the end.

They reached the door and the woman opened it and stuck her head through, "Your last patient to see you."

The old woman opened the door and all but pushed her inside. Hermione stepped in the room cautiously, taking in the room as she walked. It was bigger than she imagined, but with magic pretty much everywhere was. A desk was stuck in the right-hand corner of the room. Bookcases lined the walls behind the desk and two comfortable arm chairs faced the desk. The rest of the room was devoted to examination purposes. An examination table and a small wash up area took up the back of the room. The room overall felt peaceful. It looked like the room was designed for comfort as well as function. With the fee for the doctor's services being what it was, the practice could afford such luxuries. With her examination of the room complete, she slightly raised her head to take in the exclusive, secretive doctor. If it hadn't been for his shock of white blonde hair and tell-tale slate grey eyes, she wouldn't have recognized him.

The sharp features he had had in school had softened into pleasant features. His white healer robes highlighted the muscled build he had grown into. He looked nothing like the sharp, lanky boy he had once been. His eyes were focused on her and when their eyes met, she immediately cast hers down and lowered her head even more. Her cheeks colored. She was embarrassed, humiliated, worried and most of all scared. He had tormented her for years in school. After the final battle, she had only seen him once when they had all sat for their N.E.W.T.s, she had no idea what he had been doing though that was no surprise. She didn't really know what anyone she used to know was doing. Save for a few people she heard gossip on. But no matter who was behind that desk, she didn't have a choice. She needed him.

She lowered herself onto the nearby armchair, not yet raising her eyes to the man in front of her and softly said, "Hello, Malfoy."


	3. Change

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

Warning: This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

Chapter 3: Change

Draco was startled out of his observation of the woman by her soft voice, her too soft voice. He remembered Granger's voice in the hallways of Hogwarts, authorities, motherly, with an air of confidence. Her soft voice was just not…her. Giving himself a mental shake, he cleared his voice to somehow put himself back into his professional mindset. She was simply another patient.

"Hello Granger. It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"

She nodded her head softly and replied in her soft voice, "Three years."

God, it had been three years. Technically three years, six months, and twenty-three days. Time seemed to have past slowly yet somehow it had gone fast as well. He had to stop himself from thinking of the past, of all that had happened since the battle. He had to focus on the task ahead.

"I want you to be comfortable here Granger, no matter our past. A lot of things have changed since then, myself included."

She briefly glanced up at him, seeming to weigh him.

She nodded her agreement, "Everyone changed. I won't say I trust you, but I need you, so I have no choice."

Her voice had an air of desperation that couldn't be hidden even with the softness of her tone.

Draco nodded, choosing not to comment on her words, "I know you chose not to be accompanied, but my offer to have my secretary come sit with you is still open."

She shook her head, "It's not necessary. Your reputation proceeds you Malfoy. If the families of pureblood girls can trust you, surely a little mudblood like me can."

He flinched at the slur, "I don't use those words anymore. Nor do I like hearing it at all."

Hermione glanced up and seeing the pain on his face bowed her head. "I'm sorry Malfoy. Old habits die hard, eh?" she replied with a small smile.

Accepting her apology, he waved her off.

"No matter. You don't have to call me Malfoy if you wish. Draco is fine, Healer or even Healer Draco if it suits your fancy," he said with a little cocky grin.

His admission made her softly chuckle.

"Healer Draco, huh? Has a ring to it, doesn't it?"

The smile on her face made her face look better than it had before. Giving a life to her face that she hadn't had before. Draco was still puzzled on how she had discovered his practice. But knowing Granger, she had researched it. Not to mentioned she was still a third of the Golden Trio. Although, he hadn't actually heard anything about the brains of the trio. Sure, Scarhead was in the news nearly every week, and the Weasel popped up every so often usually pictured leaving a pub piss drunk with a slag on his arm, but he hadn't heard anything about Granger in nearly two years. Last he heard she was working at the ministry. What she was doing, well he didn't know. Shaking off his curiosity about the woman, he sifted back into healer mode.

"The past behind us, let's get to the manner at hand."

Granger nodded and shifted her eyes to look at his desk rather than her lap. It was progress, slight progress, but progress nonetheless.

"Before any procedure can take place, I will need to do an examination and then ask you a series of questions of the more…personal nature. Once the examination is complete and everything is normal, I will begin the procedure. The procedure only takes ten minutes. The majority of that time will be spent monitoring your condition after the charm is placed to ensure no adverse effects develop. Any questions?"

Hermione looked as if she had a million questions, but she shook her head.

Draco raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure? I always thought Hermione Granger was full of questions."

She shook her head again, "No, I uh researched everything before I came."

He could accept that. Granger would research anything and everything.

He continued, "The examination process is a mixture of magical and muggle. A pelvic examination, for example, done the muggle way better determines health than magical spells. The magical parts will check for things that the muggle parts can't. Is that okay?"

She nodded, "I'm surprised you use a mixture."

He chuckled softly, "I am a certified healer in the wizarding world and I have a M.D. in the muggle world as well."

Seeing her shocked face, he added, "The ministry was able to forge some papers, so I could train in both worlds at the same time. I don't think I ever slept."

He didn't mention the time turner McGonagall had petitioned for him. His old transfiguration professor was strangely nice to him after the war. Once she heard that he planned to do Healer training and a Muggle M.D., she got him a time turner. He owed her a lot for helping.

"I am shocked to say the least, but that is impressive."

He knew of all people, Granger would appreciate how hard he had worked, even with the help of a time turner. Finishing two separate degrees in two years had been a feat. Not that he had done very many clinicals in the Muggle world. He had spent a few months in Muggle hospitals going from department to department.

"If everything is agreeable and you have no more questions, we can get started with the examination."

She once again nodded her agreement, although he could detect a hint of nervousness on her face.

"There is a gown on top of the examination table."

He pointed to the table at the back of the room, "Please completely undress, put the gown on, and make yourself comfortable on the table. You are more than welcome to keep your socks on if you have the tendency towards cold feet."

He moved to stand up, "I'll give you some privacy."

He extracted himself from behind his desk and left the room. Hermione watched him as he left. He was a lot taller than she had remembered. He had to be over six feet. He had lost the cocky swagger in his walk that she had remembered at Hogwarts. She rose from the armchair and walked towards the table. The table looked comfortable and when she rested her hand on it, she discovered it was warm. She assumed a warming spell was placed on the table to make sure patients didn't have to deal with cold bums and backs. A white cloth gown was laid in the middle of the table.

Picking it up, she was once again surprised. It was thick and warm. This office definitely was made for comfort and she appreciated it. She hadn't felt this level of comfort since before…before him. She slipped off her clothes and folded them neatly. She placed her stack of clothes on the small side table that seemed to be for that specific purpose. The gown felt heavenly as she slipped it over her shoulders. It was warm and smelled like fresh laundry and lavender. She suspected the old secretary had a hand in this. She pulled herself up on the table, wincing as she irritated some of the hidden bruises.

The experience on the whole was something she was familiar with. She had been seen by healers magical and muggle that treated females. She breathed slowly in and out, pushing past the feelings of embarrassment, shame, and apprehension. She needed this more than anything and Malfoy was different now. She sat for a few minutes desperately trying to calm her breathing and heartrate. A knock sounded at the door and as the door reopened, however, the feelings that she had desperately tried to push down had resurfaced.

But, there was no going back.

Malfoy was her only hope.

Her only hope to rid herself of a life that would never get to truly live.

A life that would be taken from her one way or another.

She wanted to take it away on her terms, to not subject an innocent child to the abuse of the child's father, of Ron.


	4. Please

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

Warning: This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

Chapter 4: Please

As soon as Draco has exited the room, he pulled out his wand and lifted the illusion spell on the hallway. He reveled a small door near the staircase. The door opened to a small supply closet in which he kept supplies such as potions, salves, gloves, and other instruments he might need. The potions were of his own brewing and blend each formulated to maximize their potency and work better for women's bodies. He grabbed a few small vials, one for pain, one for nausea, and one for calming if it was needed. Some ladies would experience grief for the child that would never be.

He didn't blame them, it was a sad thing to have to give up a child. No matter how you had to give them up. But, most of these women had no choice and he would never judge them for that. He couldn't. The memories wouldn't let him judge a woman for her decisions. If things had been different, if someone had reached out, maybe she could have been saved. Maybe… no. He couldn't let himself think of that. He shook his head and grabbed a pair of latex gloves from a box near the door. He glanced down at his watch and figured five minutes was enough for the woman. She was plainly dressed, without the layers that the pureblood princess seemed to wear. He shut the door of the closet and set the illusion spells back into place. There were things in the closet that, if in the wrong hands, would be dangerous.

He knocked softly at the door and hearing no reply, walked into the room. He shut the door and pulled on the gloves, pulling them taut over his long hands. He saw Granger seated primly on the table, looking small in the white gown. He pulled a small stool from beside the table and sat down.

"Are you ready?" he asked softly.

He really wanted to make her comfortable, he didn't want her to fear him. She nodded still looking nervous. With his wand, he tapped it to the side of the table. Two stirrups placed themselves in the proper position.

"Now Granger, please lay back down and scoot your bottom near the end of the table."

She laid down and slowly did as he instructed. He could tell her nervousness was increasing. She was clutching the material covering the table between her hands so tight that her knuckles were white.

"Perfect, now place both of your feet in the stirrups. Adjust to your comfort level of course."

She placed her feet in the stirrups and wiggled to adjust herself. He now saw that her socks were obviously hand knitted in Gryffindor colors too. Her legs remained locked together during her journey to position herself.

Sensing her nervousness increasing even more he said softly, "There's no need to be afraid. I won't hurt you. You can just close your eyes and just imagine me as a regular Doctor. Not as me."

He saw her nod and her body somewhat relaxed. He used his wand to cast a warming charm on both his hands and used his foot to open a drawer at the bottom of the table. He had taken care to prep the instruments before her arrival, as he did with all his patients. He only used a muggle speculum in pelvic exams, but other instruments were prepped just in case.

"Granger, I'm going to need to separate your legs and take a look. Is that okay?"

She tightened her eyes and nodded. He gently pushed her legs apart and pushed the gown to either sides of her legs. Merlin. He hadn't seen anything like it. He had seen things like this in books and journals but never had he had a patient with something like this. Her genitals were red, swollen, and in some places, it looked torn. He didn't know what to think. She looked as though she was into something kinky in the bedroom. But this was Granger! He hadn't expected her and the Weasel to be into anything like that. Well, he thought she was still with the Weasel. He figured if they weren't, something would have come out in the Prophet.

As not to embarrass her further over gaping at the condition of her vagina, he grabbed the instrument below him. He squeezed some lubricant from a tube and made sure the instrument was fully coated so it wouldn't cause any pain.

"I am about to insert the speculum. You might feel a little pressure here, okay?"

She nodded, and he inserted the speculum slowly as not to irritate the inflamed flesh. He heard her whimper.

"Let me know if it gets too much. We can take a break if need be," he said softly.

"It's okay," she replied in a faint whisper filled with pain.

Once the speculum was in position he pulled back on the lever, allowing him to widen the vaginal canal. He looked up to see how she was doing and he noticed small tears escaping her eyes.

"Are you okay Granger?"

She nodded once again. He knew it must be painful, but the quicker he was done, the quicker he could treat her. Once the speculum was fully widened, he began his examination. The condition inside was about the same as the outside. She showed signs of either rough sex or abuse. He had heard from colleagues that some high-end mistresses would have symptoms such as this as their clients had a liking for rough bedroom activities. He quickly finished the examination, noting his observations in her file. He muttered a few healing spells over her flesh and used a pot of healing salve that he had set up in case the speculum caused any harm. He quickly applied the salve over her entire area and was pleased to see that it was starting to return to some sort of normalcy.

He removed the speculum and quickly cleaned her of the lubricant. He pushed her legs together and removed his gloves.

"Okay, that's all done. You can sit up now. How are you feeling?"

She sat up, quickly rubbing away tears when she thought he wasn't looking.

"I'm fine. I feel a lot better. Thank you."

He decided not to ask her why she was in that state. It wasn't his business after all. He promised that to his clients.

He didn't ask.

He began to ask her the normal round of questions such as last period, last sexual activity, her general health. She answered the questions simply and to the point. Satisfied with her answers and he brought out his wand. He muttered once again under his breath, waving his wand is complex motions over her person. His spells indicated that she was underweight, malnourished, anemic, sleep deprived, and pregnant. He had guessed that much without the spells. He had seen women like this when he worked in the muggle hospitals, but this was Granger.

It can't be.

Right?

Maybe this was due to being overworked and having an adventurous sex life.

That had to be it.

Right?

He remembered how she got during exams at Hogwarts and supposed it could be so. He remembered she had passed out a few times in class due to not sleeping and eating. He pushed these thoughts to the side. He didn't ask. He had to remind himself of that.

"Everything seems to be as you said. You are only a few weeks along, so the procedure should be quick and painless. After the procedure, you should rest for a few days. Get plenty of sleep and food. Avoid sexual activity so you don't irritate any tissues affected by the spell. If you follow all of these instructions, you'll be as right as rain in a few days."

She nodded, "You used a muggle phrase."

"Oh, I picked that up from an old chap at this muggle hospital I worked at. Old bastard was off his rocker, but as long as he took his meds he was practically a comedian."

She chuckled at his tale.

"Also, if you are interested Granger, I have a longer lasting birth control charm. It's of my own creation. It will last until you personally cast the counter charm. There is no charge, of course. I offer it to all my patients."

She had a surprised look on her face.

"I give it to my patients, so they don't have to come back. It isn't safe for anyone to keep having accidents," he explained.

"Doesn't that cut down on your business?" she asked.

"Honestly Granger, I'm not in it for the money. My fee is high because of the security I put in place here and the ingredients I use for my medicine. It's in my oath as a healer in both wizarding and muggle worlds to," he admitted with a small smile.

Hermione grinned widely, "Prevention is preferable to cure, isn't it?"

He nodded and chuckled. Of course, she knew the Hippocratic oath. She looked somewhat like her old self when she smiled. He was happy she approved of his practice, although his reasons were still a secret.

"I would like the charm Malfoy. It seems like an impressive piece of spellwork."

He moved his wand over womb and cast the charm. Hermione raised her brow. He wasn't sure if it was due to discomfort or from being impressed. He taught her the countercharm and wand movements which she picked up quickly.

"Before we finish everything, I need to ask you one more time. Do you want to go through with this?"

Her face that had lit up with interest slowly sank back into a grim line. She didn't try to hide her emotions as she had previously. Nor did she bother to stop the tears from escaping her eyes. It took her a few tries before she could speak.

She nodded her head and replied shakily, "Do it. Please?"

Please.

She had said please.

Fuck.

No one had said please before.

Merlin, she must be in a whole hell of a lot of pain to say please.

He felt pain for the woman before him, like he did every time he went through this. He pulled the potions out of his pocket of his white robes and handed them to her.

"For pain, nausea, and calm," he told her.

She took the potions and drank them quickly. Her breathing slowed, and he could tell the calming potion was working effectively.

He gripped his wand tightly, "Are you ready?"

She nodded but before he could move to begin she spoke, "Malfoy, could you… Could you hold my hand? I'm scared."

Her voice was so small and soft. Normally he wouldn't give in due to the unprofessional nature of the act, but he couldn't say no to this woman before him. She was somehow broken. He couldn't let her do this alone. He took her hand and squeezed it gently. She smiled a little at him and nodded at him. He grasped his wand once again and moved it gently over her. Her grip on his hand tightened and tears once again spilled His wand waved patterns softly in the air.

"Tirmanus."

It was done.


	5. Debt

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

Warning: This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

Chapter 5: Debt

It had been an hour since Granger had left. He recalled the way she left. After he cast the

charm, she remained motionless. She gripped his hand fiercely as the minutes ticked by. He didn't know how long she sat there, hand holding his.

He cleared his throat and she broke out of her trance.

She dropped his hand as if it burned her, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hold it so tight."

"It's okay Granger. It wasn't tight at all."

He wasn't lying. Her grip was akin to a small child, she was that weak.

"Thank you again, Malfoy." she said softly.

He didn't know what to say to that. How could he reply to her thanks? He had been terrible to her in the past and he was just doing his job. She had paid him handsomely for Merlin's sake. Instead of voicing these thoughts, he simply waved her thanks away.

"I'll give you some privacy to get dressed."

He got up from his stool and pushed it back to its spot. He walked briskly out of the door and shut it tightly. He needed to be alone. He leaned his form against the wall, sagging with the effort to remain standing. He didn't want to think about it right now. He could think about it later.

He couldn't.

He DIDN'T ask.

He remembered what he had learned in the Muggle world. If you had any inclination that violence was occurring, you had to tell someone. The wizarding world was different. Ideas that were common place is his world had been out of fashion for decades. Here, you didn't ask, and you didn't tell. He wanted to ask, and fuck…he wanted to tell.

He tried to push thoughts out of his mind at least until she left. He leaned against the wall for a few minutes, giving the woman time to dress and collect herself. He sighed and pushed off the wall. He reached for the door handle, but the door was yanked inwards. Granger held the door, standing with her head down once again dressed in many layers.

"Thanks again, Mal… I mean, Draco. I guess I'll see you around," she said softly hand outstretched.

Draco took her hand with his and gave it a shake.

"See you around Hermione," he said, hoping he would see her again, in better health hopefully. Perhaps he should schedule a follow up appointment to ensure she was healing well given her body's state.

And then she left.

And here he sat. Head in his hands at his desk puzzling over her. What happened to the frizzy hair, know-it-all swot that he knew from school? Her fire was gone, and only the empty shell of the woman she once was left. Everything about her, her appearance, speech, even the state of her clothes was a warning bell in Draco's mind.

Something wasn't right. He needed to find out. He had to. He owed her. He owed both her and Potter. It was his duty as a healer, wasn't it? He couldn't imagine Granger into weird shit, but he needs to check. Just to be sure. He just needed one scrap of evidence, just one. Then he could rest.

He owed her.

He owed both her and Potter. They had both spoken for him at his trial. Due to the nature of the events and his age, he had gotten a proverbial slap on the wrist. His father hadn't, but Draco hadn't thought of his father as a family for years. Granger had been his own personal angel through the whole trial.

He recalled the day, as clear in his mind as if it had happened yesterday. When he was shoved into a cage in the center of the trial room, surrounded by members of the Wizengamot and other influential members of society, his eyes found the two familiar faces of Potter and Granger.

They both looked grave that day and they said nothing to the people around them. Granger's awkward looks had blossomed into a classic beauty, her small form gained some hint of womanly curve that looked as if they would continue to fill out as she recovered from the war. He noticed in that moment that she was breathtaking. Their eyes met and, in that moment, in the hard steel cage, in the cold room, he saw her as a literal angel.

Blood purity had been long been forgotten, if he had ever truly believed, but if it hadn't, he was sure that seeing that girl tortured on his floor in front of his eyes while he was helpless to do anything would have knocked those silly notions out of his head. He had never really liked the girl, she had been an annoying swot all through school and his father would have beat him if he had ever even talked to her politely, but then in a single second, he did like her. She was good, pure, strong, and she was everything he wasn't.

He wanted to be like her.

He wanted to show her that he wasn't all bad. Her testimony on his actions was straight to the point but, it had made Draco smile in relief. When the Wizengamot took their vote, she had looked at him and gave him soft a smile, even though it was a little begrudgingly. He felt that his light punishment was due to her. He knew Potter, of course, had helped but, something about Granger's testimony was compelling. After his trial, he had tried to call out to her to say something.

Thank you?

You needn't have?

Why?

He wanted just to say something to her. To let her know that she had saved him and that he was grateful. He knew he owed her a life's debt. But then, she was gone. She had just disappeared after that. She had been pictured with the Weasel in the Prophetonce, but she was mentioned only in name.

He never did see what she saw in that git.

Thinking about what she had done for him three years ago and the debt he owed her solidified his plan. He would find out what was going on with her. He would follow her to see if she was just simply overworked and adventurous or what his mind didn't want to think. He would find what had broken the girl and turned her into the girl he had seen today.

This time he could be her angel.


	6. Stay

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

Warning: This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

To my readers: First, thank you for all the reviews and follows! I was very nervous about writing my first fic and I am glad that people are enjoying it! I welcome any and all reviews! They make me become a better writer! Second, I got a review concerning Draco becoming a healer so quickly. I should have explained more in the chapter, but I will explain now. In my own view of the healing world, becoming a healer is like being under an apprenticeship, just like doctors were in the 1800's for instance. They would have to take a qualify test to get into the program and then they would shadow a healer for a year all the while studying healing magic. The second year is more like clinicals. It may seem fast, but this is a magical world. Also, Draco had access to a time turner and had magic in the muggle world. He was approved to use a bit of magic to allow him to skip a lot of the studying years for the muggle part of his training. He mainly just did the residency years in the Muggle world. I really hope that explains everything better. I wanted my characters to still be younger and the hurt of the war still fresh. Thank you readers for sticking by me! A lot of these chapters have been written for a while, and I am uploading them slowly to give myself time to complete the fic entirely. (I just started on Chapter 14!) I'll be uploading every Monday until the fic is finished! - DirtyCavePainter

Chapter 6: Stay

Days went by since he had seen her in his office. He had taken the week off, something he hadn't done since he started his practice. His secretary Isla nearly had a heart attack, she was so happy. She had been begging him to take a vacation for weeks. Not because she wanted one, she was simply concerned for his health. The woman had folded him into her own flock. He had dinner with her and her numerous family members more than he did at his own home. He truly cared for the woman and since he was taking the week off, he sent her on a holiday which he paid for. She fussed and fussed, but she finally caved.

She deserved it, of course, but it also meant Draco was free to investigate undisturbed. It had dawned on him the next day that he had missed something. He didn't factor in Weasley. Did Granger tell him? He assumed it was the redhead's. But, if it was surely he would have wanted to keep it given his families obsession with breeding. Unless Granger's sex life was more adventurous than he thought. He had one more avenue to pursue in his investigation.

His plan for investigating was fairly simple. He followed her home one day from the Ministry to discover where she lived, so he followed her to and from work. She didn't go anywhere else. He had found that she worked in the Department of the Misuse of Magic as a low-level investigator. That had come as a shock.

He had figured she would hold some high-level position in another department, possibly the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He vaguely recalled her obsession with house elves in fourth year. For the past few days, Draco had followed her and got her pattern. She always got to work early and left late, nothing unusual for a girl like her. All work, no play. Every day she looked dreadful, what he could see of her. She always walked with her head down and her body folded into herself.

No one around her paid no mind. He had seen Potter walk to work once and he was practically mobbed with people trying to gain his attention. But Granger dissolved into the crowd. It was hard to keep up with her, especially while disillusioned. Towards the end of the week he noticed just how bad she was looking. She looked like she was a hairsbreadth from collapsing. He hoped the procedure hadn't gone wrong, but it had never before. He found it strange that he never saw her with Weasley.

They were never together. He had waited at her apartment the night before to see if they were even living together. He had waited well into the night, huddled under a tree out of sight. Finally, around one in the morning, he spotted the telltale red hair and gangly form swaying towards the building. He could practically smell the vapors coming off of him from his vantage point. The man was piss drunk. The man stumbled into the building and disappeared. Well, that solved that mystery. They were living together alright. Still, it was strange that they were never seen together. Draco wondered how frequent the Weasel's pub visits were.

He would have a chance to see the two together on Saturday during the annual Ministry Winter Ball. He had received an invitation of course. His reputation wasn't completely cleaned from the taint that the war left, but the work that he had done in his spare time on his own had gotten around. Plus, he was still a Malfoy. He had given up his parent's fortune to help pay for the damage his father had wrought, but he retained his own fortune and he had invested it wisely. Wise enough to have grown his personal fortune to what his parent's vaults had been pre-war. Since his fortune had recovered, he had received numerous invitations to charity balls.

He had never wanted to attend. He sent his donation with an owl and a note. He had been about to do the same with this ball, but his obsession with this investigation on Granger had stopped him. The Golden Trio were always at these balls. He could see her with the rest of the trio and gaged her reactions with both the men. Maybe he could speak with her alone. Ask her how she was doing, maybe do a few of stealthy diagnostic spells. He had to do something. He couldn't take more time off. He had an overflow of patients already. He served more than the magical population of Europe. Women came from everywhere for his services. The Winter Ball was his last chance to make progress on investigation.

The last time to play angel to her.

…..

Merlin, he hated these things.

Society wives tittered here and there gossiping with their friends. Old men stood with other old men having long winded talks that they gladly shared with anyone who had the misfortune of walking by. Once you replied, they snapped you up and you would be stuck there until someone took pity on you and granted you an escape. For the most part people stayed away from Draco. A few people had shaken his hand and made small talk, but they were few and far between.

This was probably due to his still recovering reputation and his rather unfortunate intimidating nature. He tried hard not to be so scary, so…like his father. But sometimes, it couldn't be helped. He cradled a glass firewhisky, slowly sipping as he watched the ball unfold. He picked a small piece of dust off his otherwise immaculate dark gray dress robes. For the past thirty or so minutes, he had been focused towards the front of the room where the Golden Trio was situated. Potter looked, well like Potter. Weasley looked forever a git, but a more serious git. Beside the redhead stood Granger.

She looked better in a way, but he could tell she had put some glamor spells over her form. If you just looked at her closely you could clearly see she wasn't well. She stood as though she could fall over any second. She had the walk of an old woman rather than a girl in her early twenties. Her long sleeved dark blue floor length gown was hanging off of her body. He was surprised that no one, even Potter, seemed to notice her condition. They were best friends.

Weren't they?

He was startled out of his observations by the Minister himself giving the normal charity ball speech. Draco tuned it out, still watching the woman. Shacklebolt called for the ever-original dance that proceeded the speech. The band began to play a waltz and Potter grabbed a witch Draco had never seen before and led her to floor. Weasley and Granger followed with Shacklebolt and his husband. The pairs danced for a few turns and the floor opened for everyone else. A brazen witch asked for Draco to spin.

Usually he would refuse, but this would allow him to keep an eye on Granger and maybe figure out a way to talk to her privately. Draco spun the witch towards the center where Granger and Weasley were dancing slowly. Just as he spun the witch in his arms in a spin, he saw Granger stumble. She recovered quickly, but Draco saw a look of fear as she glanced up at her beau.

That was…. interesting.

She had merely stumbled.

Why would she be afraid?

Surely the Weasel wouldn't be mad over a simple stumble. The crowd around the center obscured her from view and no matter how hard he spun his dance partner, he couldn't catch sight of her. The dance ended, and the majority of the partners left the dance floor. The next few dances were always less attended than the first. Having no want to continue dancing with the witch who had been talking his ear, he made excuses and left to get a drink. He scanned the room, yet he didn't see Granger or Weasley. Maybe the git took her somewhere to attend to her?

He positioned himself in a corner, so he could see when they reentered. Maybe this time, he could somehow talk to her. It had been nearly twenty minutes before he saw the red hair only a Weasley sported. He was alone. He wondered if the man knew where Granger had been last week, what she had been doing. Minutes passed, but still Granger was nowhere to be found. Weasley had a blank expression on his face as he talked with a group of men, everything about him was neat and ordered. Granger had to be somewhere, and this was the perfect opportunity to talk to her.

Making sure no one was focused on him, he left the room to begin his search. Draco searched everywhere, even checking the women's bathroom, with a spell of course. There was no sign of her. Draco supposed she could have gone outside for air, so he decided to check outside as well. The small garden of the building was empty except for a pair of lovers kissing under a tree. The front of the building was also void of people. He must have missed something, maybe he had not checked the gardens thoroughly.

Deciding it would be quicker than walking back in the building to the garden entrance, he stepped into a small alley that he had noticed connecting to the garden previously. The alley was dark and didn't smell the best, typical London alley. He had walked nearly to the end when his boot caught something. He looked down and saw a small foot, bare and twisted. Bile rose in his throat as he looked towards the body that belong to the foot.

Oh Merlin.

Oh fuck.

He couldn't help it, he turned and vomited.

Oh Merlin no.

He knew it.

He didn't want it to be like this.

He didn't.

But he knew.

He looked towards the body again.

Towards the broken body of Hermione Granger.


	7. Agony

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

Warning: This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

To my readers: Thank you so much for everyones reviews on the last chapter! I have added a domestic abuse warning as well to make sure I have everything covered. Last chapter was an emotional one and I hope everyone is ready for what is going to unfold. Keep those reviews coming! Some of them had me in tears with how lovely they were. Thank you again readers for reading! Much Love- DirtyCavePainter

Chapter 7: Agony

"Merlin…"

He couldn't help himself from exclaiming as he took in the damage. The dress she had been wearing was in tatters. Her legs and groin were exposed. Her arms appeared untouched, though he doubted they were. Her face was a mess of bruises and cuts. Her face was swollen almost beyond recognition. Her legs fared no better than her face, but the true damage was seemed to be between her legs.

Blood seeped and pooled around her groin and stained her thighs.

He didn't know what to do.

Surely, he had to go get someone.

Maybe he should take her to St. Mungo's?

No, he should get Potter.

Potter should know.

He turned to leave when a sputtered reached his ears. He turned back and fell to his knees by the woman.

"Granger! Granger! Can you hear me?" he didn't want to touch her.

He didn't want to cause her pain, so he kept his hands by his sides. The sputtering stopped, but a cold hand reached out towards his left hand that was still dangling uselessly by his side. The hand didn't grip, rather it merely pulled slightly. Guessing that Granger wanted him to lean closer, he obliged her.

Leaning towards the woman, breathing in the combined smell of blood, sweat, and semen. He moved his face towards hers until they were merely inches apart.

Her lips parted, and she whispered, "Don't go. Don't tell. Help. Please."

Please.

She had said that to him a little more than a week ago. A soft word that held behind it so much desperation.

Her voice rasped, and it seemed that her ribs were broken judging by the short, shallow breaths she was taking.

What should he do?

Obviously, she didn't want him to go to anyone. But, shouldn't he? Oh Merlin, who had done this to her? He couldn't let himself wonder, he had to figure out what to do. She needed healing, and fast. In a split second, he decided. He would take her back to his apartment. He had everything he needed to heal her there. He would heal her and convince her to tell an Auror what had happened.

That was it.

That would work.

Wouldn't it?

Refusing to doubt himself more, he got up from his knees and slowly began to lift the woman letting his honed healing instincts reign. She was unconscious, as if her words had sapped her remaining strength. The woman weighed nothing. The glamor placed on her had been a good one. Draping the woman in his arms, he used his clutched wand to clean the area of her blood. He held the woman tightly, as tightly as he could manage, and thought of home.

With a pop of apparation, he landed in his living room. He was lucky that he had allowed side-along apparation possible within his home, though the wards dictated that he had to be willing.

"Bee! Bee! Get my healer kit and meet me in the dining room," he yelled as he walked quickly through his living room to his dining room.

He laid the woman on the table gently and began to use his wand gently to begin cutting away at the remains of her dress.

"Master Draco. Bee has medicines."

The little house elf popped at his side, brandishing the oversized bag at Draco. Draco quickly grab the bag and set it on the table within his reach.

"Bee felt a Miss come through. Does Master finally have a…."

The little elf's eyes widened at she took in the scene.

She pressed a small hand over her mouth and exclaimed, "Oh Master Draco. Bee can't believe. Is the Miss okay Master?"

He nodded his head, "She'll be fine, but I'm going to need your help. You'll need to hand me things when I need them."

Bee nodded her head at her Master.

"Bee wants to help Master. Bee knows the Miss. She helped take down the Dark man. Bees remembers the other elves talking about this Miss, she does. The others be saying she is bad, that she wants to free the elves. But Bee told them they were wrong. That the Miss be having a big heart. Miss not a bad witch. She just doesn't know the old ways. Bees like the Miss. Master must save the Miss. Miss is good so Master must save her!"

Draco listened to the little elf with only half an ear as he worked over the woman.

He ran spells over her body and mentally catalogued her injures.

Fractured femur

Greenstick facture on the tibia

Broken phalanges, fingers and toes

Crushed metatarsals

Lacerations and bruising on all of her body

Dislocated shoulder

Fractured clavicle

Broken fourth and fifth ribs

Ruptured kidney

Punctured lung

Nasal facture

Torn labia

Intracerebral hemorrhage

Concussion

Massive trauma to the vagina

He couldn't believe that she was still alive.

She wouldn't be much longer if he didn't move quickly. He worked steadily. First working on the major injuries, such as the internal bleeds and moving to broken bones. He worked for hours, feeding her potion after potion to stabilize her. He came across numerous old injures that hadn't fully healed.

This woman was someone's punching bag. After hours of labor over the woman, she finally stabilized. Her numerous cuts and bruises remained. He didn't have the energy to attempt to heal her and he had run out of healing salve. He had more at his practice, of course, but he doubted he could even make it to the living room. He slumped into a chair beside the table.

Granger lay still, with only her chest moving. He looked at her bruises, he would have to wait until the morning to fix everything else. The little elf seemed as energetic as ever, but she had been more moral support than anything. Bee laid her little hand on his knee.

"Master Draco should be heading to bed. Bee will be watching the Miss untils the mornings."

To further her point, Bee lifted onto her toes and ran a hand over Granger's body. The bruises are cuts began to heal, closing up and turning the bruises to a faint yellow.

"Sees Master. Bee helps!"

He smiled at the elf, thankful that she was allowed to stay after the Ministry seizure. He knew he could trust the elf to take care of the young woman. He sat for a few minutes longer and gathered his strength. He transfigured the table into a comfortable bed and had Bee grab some spare blankets and pillows.

"Call for me if anything changes. Okay Bee?"

The little elf nodded and shooed him towards his room. Fighting sleep, Draco tore off his clothes the second he closed his bedroom door. They were covered in blood and Merlin knows what else. He stepped into a warm shower that Bee had somehow started for him. The warmth felt good against his body, washing away the grime that he hadn't experienced since those few weeks in the Muggle ER. He slumped against the shower wall, breathing in the warm steam. He hadn't yet really processed what had happened.

What should he do now?

Did he send an owl to Potter?

Did he send for Aurors?

Did he respect her wishes and do nothing?

Fuck.

He didn't fucking ask.

He DIDN'T ASK.

Maybe he should have…

He rubbed his hands over his face.

Merlin…she had been so hurt. She shouldn't have survived all of that.

Had…had Ron done this?

Fuck. It couldn't be him.

But…who could it be?

She could barely stand much less fight. She was defenseless. He decided to wait until she woke to act. She had to tell him it had been him. It could have been anyone, right? There were still some Death Eaters that had evaded capture. He always knew she wouldn't like it if he involved anyone without her approval. It could wait. Her health was more important, and she wasn't out of danger yet. Her body still had a lot of healing to do. He toweled off and practically fell in bed. He barely pulled the blankets over his form before his eyes involuntarily closed.

His last thought was remembering her face as she looked up in fear after missing a step in the dance.


	8. Help

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

Warning: This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

To my amazing readers: Wow, I have been floored by everyones reviews! They are amazing! Please, please keep them coming! Just so everyone knows, I will be updating every Monday until we are finished, even around the holidays. Thanks to my one and only beta reader, my long distance bff Steph for letting me bounce ideas off of her at all hours of the day! Now, buckle up my dear readers, you are in for quite a chapter. Love always- DirtyCavePainter

Chapter 8: Help

When Malfoy had said the words, her world stopped.

How long had she sat there holding his hand?

He had cleared his throat and she broke out of her thoughts. As she was saying goodbye, he had gazed at her with something…something like pity? He had changed. The Malfoy she had known would have never pitied much less held her hand for who knows how long. But he had. She had pitied him once. Just once. It was on the day of his trial. His hair was so dirty that the icy blonde looked muddy. He was thin, unkempt, and even paler than usual. He looked…sad. Almost as if he had the weight of the world on his thin shoulders, and from what she had heard, he had. She gave her testimony honestly and when the voting began, she gave him a small smile. She wasn't his friend, he wasn't hers, but she pitied him in that moment. She had left the courtroom and had simply forgotten. He had changed so much. A man who she could have never trusted had a secret of hers…and she trusted him with it. When he had held her hand, she had trusted him.

She slipped out of the small lobby, waving slightly at the old secretary. Her watch read 5:00 which was around the normal time she slipped out of her tiny office at the Ministry. The small alley that concealed the medical practice was concealed enough that she could apparated away without being noticed. With a twist and a pop, she landed in front of her building. Her body was sore, and she felt nauseous, despite the potions Malfoy gave her. He had said to take it easy, but she doubted she had any control on whether she could take it easy. Maybe he would be in a better mood. The weeks that he was in a good mood meant that she didn't have to endure as much, but those weeks were few and far between. When he came home that night, drunk as he always was, she knew that it wasn't the good week she had hoped.

….

"Please, Ron. Please. I'm sick. Please. Merlin. Please. Please stop." She begged, she screamed, she fought, she sobbed, but nothing stopped him. Her pain was the worst it had ever been. Whatever had gotten rid of the embryo had put a strain on her system. Through her begging, he said nothing. He continued as if he was going through a routine. Every night since she had gone to the clinic, he had been the most violent she had ever seen him. Her coworkers were even noticing something was wrong with her, but she waved them off with explanation of sleepless nights and recovering from a sickness. He had left her face alone this week since their presence was required at the Ministry Ball. He knew that she had a blue long-sleeved gown that she had liked to wear, so he peppered the rest of her body with bruises. She had found out what had gotten him so angry from her coworkers. She had been in the loo when two of the senior investigators gossiped about other departments.

"Oh, Janet did you hear."

"Oh, who is it about this time?"

"That Ronald Weasley in the Auror Department!"

"Caught with another slag I assume?"

"Oh no, even worse. Passed up for promotion again. Still an entry level agent. He is the laughing stock of the department."

"That's hardly surprising. Like we didn't know the man only thinks with his prick."

Hermione stopped listening after that. She knew about Ron's habit with women. She didn't care. It kept him away from her. She would've left him ages ago if she was able to. But, she couldn't. He had everything of hers that she held dear. He had threatened what would happen if she left. Oh, poor Crooks. He made her watch as he used the killing curse on her beloved cat. She wanted to run, but she knew he would find her. But he was passed over for promotion again. When it had happened the first time, he had shoved her down that stairs. She had to fix her broken arm by herself, which she hadn't done all that well. Merlin knows what would happen this time.

When Harry had taken himself from the spotlight, Ron had assumed he would take his place. He had always been jealous of both Harry and her, since they had held the limelight. Harry was the chosen one, the savior of the wizarding world and she was the supposed brightest witch of their age. Ron was just the sidekick, forever pushed aside. Harry had moved on, so the wizarding world had turned to her. She never wanted the attention, so she laid low. That made Ron's plan to drag her down and to whisk her out of sight even easier. Hermione had slowly faded into memories, but Ron hadn't gotten what he wanted. Sure, people knew who he was, but they no longer asked about his stories. They just wanted to hear about Harry. Ron had faded away into the Auror department, forever a low level Auror. It had twisted him, made him into someone she didn't recognize. She hoped that the ball would take his mind off everything. He loved to talk about himself, his role in taking down Voldemort, or pretty much anything centered around him. He maybe would leave her alone that night.

Maybe she could sleep.

Maybe she could just read.

Maybe…maybe she could leave.

No, she knew she couldn't do that. Merlin, she wished she could.

...

The glamor charms around her were heavy on her skin. Underneath them she knew she looked terrible. She was exhausted. On the outside, she looked somewhat healthy. She knew she looked nothing like she used to. Her curls were still lank and black. She missed her honey lightened hair with those crazy curls that no amount of taming could control. Her brown eyes were dull and lifeless. She knew her blue dress hung off of her. She remembered when it had fit. Ron had been pleasant today, almost who he had been years ago. He had drawn her a steaming bath, fragrant with oils for her skin. As she had laid, he had washed and brushed out her hair. He was so gentle. Tears had prickled her eyes as she remembered who he had been, why she stayed. She had hope that he would be himself again. She had poured everything she had into that hope. He would come back one day. She didn't want to give up on him, she couldn't. She loved him, the old him. She hated the new twisted version of him, but when his old self surfaced, she remembered the man she loved.

The ball was in full swing around her. She listened to conversation after conversation. No one talked to her except for a few pleasantries. She let her mind wander. She didn't want to be here, but it gave her an excuse to see other people, to get out of that apartment. She scanned the room looking for familiar faces. She nearly gasped when she saw him. His white blond hair stuck out like a sore thumb in the crowd. He was looking around the room bored with a glass of some kind of liquor in his hand. She hadn't known he was going to be here. She turned back to look back at her feet. Maybe she should find him later? Apologize for what had happened? Tell him that she was okay, even if it was a lie? She could slip out after the usual dance and maybe she could catch his eye? She would have to be careful, of course. She wasn't trying to make the situation with Ron worse. She had to be on her best behavior tonight, but she was compelled to at least speak to Malfoy. Even if just for a moment.

Kingsley gave his speech which sounded like all the rest of the speeches he gave and called for the dance to begin. She allowed Ron to spin her around and to hold her as if he cared for her. She had to stop herself from flinching away from him. She had to be perfect. Her movements were clumsy. Her body was tired and try as she might, was not performing the dance well. She tried so hard to keep up with the steps, but unbidden her knee gave under her weight. As she tripped, she felt the hand at her waist squeezed and squeezed and squeezed until she could barely breathe. She looked up into his face and saw his anger. Her stomach dropped. She hoped that the rest of the evening would alleviate his anger, make him forget that she had stumbled. He hated when she made a fool out of him. He had hated it since school. Part of her knew that he had always wanted to bring her down, but she couldn't have imagined it would have gone this far. He was slowly moving them towards the exits. Surely, he wouldn't do anything here? In public?

Right?

That hadn't stopped him before.

He pulled her through the door, making excuses for their exit as he always did. Mentions of her being faint, being ill, nauseous, every excuse tumbled out of his mouth. She knew she looked ill. Her face couldn't hide the emotions pouring over her face. He was dragging her now. They were out of sight, so he didn't need to keep up his mask. He pulled her outside into a little alley. He had been so ruthless in his dragging that her shoulder had popped out of its socket.

Merlin, it hurt.

Tears rolled down her face.

She couldn't stop them.

She pushed her mind further and further into her head. She built a steel wall around her conscious and huddled there. She was aware of the pain, but she shielded herself from the worst of it. She had never been proficient at legilimency, but out of sheer desperation she had excelled at occlumency. She could pull her mind into herself and view it as an observer. It helped, somewhat. She was aware when he crushed her toes, kicked her stomach, back, thighs, and face. She was aware when he tore her dress, a dress that her mother had bought for her. She was aware when he pushed into her and deciding that his cock wasn't enough, withdrew and pushed in a fist. She was aware that she was dying. She didn't know how long she was subjected to his anger, anger that had accumulated over weeks and weeks. Her vision blurry, she saw him button his pants and clean himself with his wand. He gazed down at her, face impassive, and he smiled.

The bastard smiled.

He used his wand to get rid of any trace of him and then he just left her in that alley.

Inhale….

Exhale…

Inhale…

She lay on the cold cobblestone and simply breathed. She felt her body giving in. She knew it was better to die now then to suffer more. She was alone in the world. No one would care if she died. Her parents were dead. Harry was…gone. The fake polyjuiced Harry the Ministry used was simply a tactic to keep the peace. She doubted Harry would ever find out about her death. All her other school friends had simply stopped trying because of the restrictions Ron placed on her. She didn't blame them. They felt as though she had given up on them. Maybe they would cry at her funeral. She didn't care if they did. They hadn't.

Inhale….

Exhale….

Inhale….

She heard shoes on the cobblestones. They stopped. She heard a voice. She knew that voice. The sound on vomit splashing the stones. Shoes pacing. The voice still muttering.

Malfoy.

He had kneeled beside her. Summoning the last of her energy, she reached her hand out. She tried to pull it, trying to get him to come closer. He did as she wanted. It struck her. He cared. Someone cared. Maybe she didn't want to die. She tried to speak. She needed to tell him. It took everything in her to mutter those words.

"Don't go. Don't tell. Help. Please."

And then the world went dark.


	9. Watch

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

Warning: This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

To my lovely readers: Thank you for continuing to read my story and to give me reviews every week. I truly look forward to hearing from everyone! I would like to remind everyone that this story is pretty gruesome. It's a tale of two people who have so much darkness in their lives. I don't want to make light of what happened to her, and some things that have happened to Draco. So thank you my dear readers for exploring the dark so that in a few chapter light can start to shine. As always, I want to thank my beta reader Steph for being my rock. The two of us are currently going through a tough chapter and we need all the good thoughts we can! Until next week my dears! - DirtyCavePainter

Chapter 9: Watch

His sleep was restless. He kept seeing her battered body, kept hearing her words, kept feeling her small touch. Muddled in his dreams were her screams from those years ago. She was screaming, broken, bloodied.

But he couldn't do anything.

He had to watch.

He couldn't save her.

He tried to reach out.

He tried, but he couldn't.

He woke up drenched in sweat. His head ached. He glanced to his side table and picked up his watch. 10 o'clock. He had only slept for six hours. He rubbed his eyes as he laid back onto his sweat soaked pillows. He was so tired, and his body felt like he had run a marathon. Suddenly the memories from the previous night came crashing back.

Fuck.

Granger.

Hermione.

He needed to see if she was okay. He threw on a pair of sleep pants and a t-shirt and barreled down his hallway. His bare feet skidded on the wood outside of the dining room as he rushed in the door. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Bee sitting beside the bed he had made for Granger. The little elf was knitting one of her little creations that she liked to make in her free time. Judging by the colors, it wasn't for him. He smiled a bit at the little elf's kindness. Bee would love to have a woman to care for, and more so a family to care for. But he didn't think any of that would happen anytime soon.

He reached the makeshift bed and felt her forehead. She was hot, but not dangerously so. He cast a series of monitoring spells over her. She was healing, slowly, but still, she was healing. Her mild fever wasn't a worry, but he pulled some pain and fever reducing potions from his healing bag that was still on the floor. Once he had given her those, he had Bee pop over to his office and grab a blood replenishing potion from his stores. It was better to give her some just in case. Her face was still swollen, but the bruising had gone down. Her hair was matted when he had last seen her and coated in blood as the rest of her had been. It had seemed that Bee had washed her, brushed out her hair, and put her in a nightgown. Where she had got the nightgown was a mystery. It surely wasn't his. He had opted to put her into a magical coma to allow her body to heal. He would have to wake her periodically to feed her and allow her to relieve herself. He sighed to himself. He was nervous to wake her. No doubt she had suffered, and he didn't want her to hurt herself when she came to in an unfamiliar house. He had no idea what he would say when she awoke for the first time. He wrinkled his nose and he looked down at himself. He needed to shower and change before he woke her up anyways. He could think of what to say as he did that.

He was showered and in fresh clothes, but no solution to what he would say had sprung up as the heat of the water pounded on his back.

Should he even ask her?

Maybe he should wait until he told her?

But what if she never said anything?

The thought of that made him flinch causing the razor in his hand to slip nicking his chin. He grabbed his wand and healed the wound. Too bad he liked using a straight razor instead of his wand for shaving. He would ask her, but he wouldn't ask her now. He would wait until she was better. Until he knew for certain she could handle it. That had to be the best option. Certainty one that allowed him to think about the situation more.

He made his way back into the dining room and placed himself by the bed. Bee was still knitting away. Her newest creation was looking like a scarf in a lovely light pink color. Unless Bee had decided he needed to wear more light colors, it looked like she was making it for Hermione. He couldn't hold off any longer. She needed to wake up for a little before he put her back under.

"Bee?"

The little elf looked up from her tasked, placing her knitting needles on her lap.

"Yes, Master Draco?"

"Could you get the guest room ready? We should move Gra...uh Hermione into a more comfortable room."

The elf smiled broadly," Oh of course Masters. Bees has already done it. She has thought Master would move the Miss."

"I swear you read my mind Bee. It's a little strange but thank you," he said smiling at her. "I am going to wake her up soon Bee. She might be frightened so we both need to make sure she doesn't hurt herself. Do you have any broth ready?"

Bee nodded, "Bee made some last night while the Miss slept. Bee will make sure the Miss doesn't hurt herself."

"Good. I'm going to try to walk her to the bathroom in the guest room after I move her to the bed. Please have the broth waiting on the bedside along with some pain potions just in case."

Bee nodded her head and popped away most likely to the kitchen. He pulled the blankets off of her body and lifted her. He could have levitated her, but he needed to conserve his magical strength just in case. He was still drained from last night as well. He was careful as to not jostle her newly healed bones and skin. The walk to the guest room was short, but due to his nervousness over hurting her, it took twice as long. The door to the room was open and he could see that Bee prepared the room well. The big windows filled the room with sunshine and illuminate the light grey walls. The bed had its white sheets and comforter turned down. He placed her in the bed and covered her up. With his hands shaking with nerves, he muttered the spell to awaken the sleeping woman. For a few moments nothing had changed, but a fluttering in her eyelashes told him that she was waking. Suddenly her eyes flew open and he could see panic fill her face.

"Granger…... Hermione…... It's alright. It's Draco. I'm not going to hurt you," he said soothingly.

Her brown eyes met his grey and he saw as comprehension flooded over her.

"You were seriously injured. I took you to my home and cared for you. I put you in a medical coma to help you heal. I woke you, so you could go to the bathroom and eat. Is that okay?"

He laid it out plainly for her but still ambiguously enough, so she didn't think he was trying to interrogate her. She seemed to think over his words when she nodded ever so slightly.

"Do you think you can walk?"

She shook her head.

"If it's okay with you, I am going to pick you up and take you to the bathroom. Okay?"

She nodded again.

He leaned toward her and bent to pick her up. Even if he had more magical strength, levitation on something awake and moving was a taxing tasks, so using physical strength was a better option. As his arms cradled her back and under her knees, he felt her recoil and start to shake. He had guessed her reaction would be like this. He didn't want to cause her anymore stress so he hurried into the nearby bathroom.

"Hermione, do you think you can pull up your nightgown yourself when I set you down on the toilet?"

She nodded.

"Would you be okay if I had my houseelf Bee in here to watch you and help you if you need it? She is a waged elf and well taken care of so don't worry about that."

She nodded. Glad that she agreed to have Bee in the room, he called for the elf softly. The elf gladly agreed to stay and help 'the Miss' so he left the two alone. As he waited outside the door, he saw that Bee had placed a bowl of broth and a vase of flowers on the bedside table. After a few minutes, Bee opened the door and told him that Hermione was finished. He entered the bathroom and saw that Bee must have righted her before he came in.

"I'm going to pick you back up. Okay?"

She nodded. She was starting to look even more pale. As soon as she ate, she needed to go back into the coma. The ordeal had placed a heavy strain on her body, and he doubted she could handle much more today.

He placed her back into bed and tucked the blankets around her.

"Hermione, I had to put you in a magical coma. Your body needs to heal and the best way for you to do that is to sleep. As soon as you get some food, I'd like to put you back under. Do I have your permission?"

He wanted to ask her.

He needed to ask her.

It wasn't right for him to put her under without her knowledge. He had done it last night simply because it needed to be done. Her nose crinkled as she thought about his request. She finally nodded. He grabbed a chair from the desk across the room and sat beside the bed. He grabbed the bowl of broth and indicated that he wanted her to eat. She ate without complaint and when he set the empty bowl back down, she closed her eyes. He grabbed his wand to put her back under the spell, but she reached out and touched his knee. He stopped and looked at her. Under the slight swelling and faint bruises, she looked like a doll. Her dark hair falling in soft waves with long dark lashes resting on her pale cheeks. Just as she had done the previous night, she opened her mouth struggling to find the energy to speak.

"Thank you."

He didn't know what to say. So, he didn't say anything. He simply cast the spell and let her sleep. He needed to think, but more importantly he needed to talk to his two best friends.


	10. Find

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

Warning: This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

AN: I am still loving all your reviews! Keep them coming! I now have these story on both FFN and AO3. I've also updated my bio on both sites! Hope you love this weeks chapter! Love-DCP

Chapter 10: Find

While nursing Hermione, he had given more thought to the situation. He wasn't going to ask her about anything until she was ready to tell him, but he wasn't going to sit idly by while some depraved fuck was still out there. First, he needed to talk with Theo and Blaise. Both had been strong friends after the war. They had both been successful. Theo was a lawyer at the Ministry who worked high profile cases. Blaise was one of the top Aurors and had a stunning record of captures. Most importantly, he knew they could be counted on for their silence. He debated whether he should send an owl or try the floo. It was a Sunday, so both men shouldn't be working. He decided that he would try the floo first since he wanted to talk to them as soon as possible to make sure he could wake up Granger in a timely manner. It was very convenient that both men lived together so he could get both of them together.

He grabbed a bit of floo powder, stuck just his head in the flames and shouted, "Blaise and Theo's Flat."

His head spun, and he found himself looking out into a modestly sized flat with clean white walls and tidy furniture. Thankfully the men had elves, or it would have been a pigsty. He was also rewarded with a view of both men reading in armchairs by a small bookshelf. Both the men looked up and smiled at him.

"Oh, hello Draco," said Theo in his characteristic unfazed tone. Even though it was Sunday, Theo was immaculately dressed and groomed. With his glasses perched on his nose, he looked like an old professor rather than twenty-one-year-old.

"Hey, Draco! What's up?" said Blaise. He was dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a white t-shirt, looking more like a teenager than a dangerous Auror. The man pushed his tight black curls off his face and got up.

"Do you both have anything set for today?"

"No, why?" said Blaise looking concerned at his tone.

"I need you both to come here. I have something to talk to you both about. Privately." He indicated his head to current predicament. This wasn't something to be discussed over a Floo call. 

Both the men were now standing.

Theo nodded, "Give us a few minutes and we'll meet you in your office."

Draco ended the call and walked towards his office. The light space was nothing like how his father's study had been. He designed the space with that in mind. He sat on one of the three armchairs that the three friends normally sat in and noticed that Bee had already set out tea for three. He swore that elf knew everything. A few minutes later the two men entered the room and sat across from him. Tea was poured, sugar and milk were added, and Theo and Blaise looked at him waiting for him to begin.

He stirred his tea, struggling to find the words, "What I tell you here today must be told to no one. I want a wizarding oath from each of you. Agreed?"

The two men nodded and gave him their oaths.

"Last night at the Winter Ball, I found Hermione Granger beaten, raped, and left to die," he said straightforwardly.

He saw the two men start to speak, but he bade them to let him continue, "I had been following her for a week since her visit to my establishment for my services. I had suspected something out of her control was happening, but I had also considered some… consensual acts as well."

Both men, of course, knew what Draco did and their faces showed their shock.

"I have my suspicions especially after last night on who is abusing her, but I need your help. I want to talk to Potter first and foremost to figure out if he knows anything. The second thing will come later when Granger can tell me what happened."

"Can you tell us what happened? Where is she Draco?" Theo was flustered, a rare state for him.

He sighed. Not knowing where to begin. Looking down at his hands folded in his lap, he gave a brief summary of the events of last night, leaving out some of the gruesome details for Hermione's privacy. The two men didn't need to know the full extent of some of her more personal injuries. After his tale, he looked up at the two men. Both were speechless.

"Bloody hell Draco," said Blaise. His eyes were wide in shock.

"Why didn't you report it?" said Theo who, despite being flustered, had more clarity than the supposed top Auror.

"She asked me not to Theo. Fuck. You weren't there when she asked me to not say anything. I just couldn't." Draco hung his head in shame. Maybe he should have reported it. But, he just couldn't have done that to her in that moment.

"We aren't judging you Draco. We just wanted to understand why you didn't," murmured Theo who looked remorseful over suggesting that Draco had messed up.

"So, how is she mate?" said Blaise.

"Well, she is stable for the time being. She will need to be kept in the coma for a day or two more to give her body a chance to heal."

Both the men nodded their heads in understanding.

Theo ran his hands through his hair, ruffling its immaculate appearance, "What are you going to do now?"

"Like I said, I want to get Potter alone somehow and talk to him. He and Hermione always seemed close."

Blaise sighed and rested his head in his hands.

After a moment, he pushed up "That's going to be more difficult than it sounds mate."

Draco cocked an eyebrow, "I figured you could use your authority as an Auror to get Potter and me alone together."

Blaise sighed again, "I could get you a Potter, but unfortunately not the real Potter."

"Wait, what do you mean not the real Potter?"

"Exactly what I said Drake."

"Well can you explain it?"

Theo nodded his agreement, "That is something you have to explain Blaise."

Blaise looked back and forth between the two men, "If I tell you this, I'll need a wizard oath from both of you. Only a handful of people know about this, and for good reason."

He and Theo nodded, waiting for Blaise to continue.

"Two years ago, Potter came to see the Minister, said it was urgent. I wasn't a high level Auror at the time, but I was making my way up the ranks. I was assigned to the Minister amidst those threats, you guys remember those?"

Both the men nodded. The remaining Death Eaters had banded together and had gone on a revenge spree. Draco himself had gotten numerous threats.

Blaise continued, "Potter just stormed in one day and told Shacklebolt that he was leaving. Said he had had enough. Potter just bolted out of the room. The Minister tried to stop him, but as soon as Potter turned a corner he just disappeared. The Minister didn't know what to do. He couldn't not have Potter there, especially during all the killings, so he came up with a plan. He made enough Polyjuice potion to ensure that a Potter would be present for every important Ministry event. Apparently, that sneak had an in with Potter's barber. Had been collecting them for a while just in case. He had a group of Aurors try to track the real Potter down, but every lead was a dead end. The man just up and disappeared, leaving no trace."

Draco couldn't believe what he was hearing. Potter left. He hadn't pinned the man for a coward. No wonder Granger hadn't seemed comfortable with Potter at the ball.

Theo looked pensive, "I had wondered why Potter wasn't with the female Weasley. They seemed headed towards marriage after the war."

"Oh, come on Theo, the only reason you wondered that was because you always had a crush one of those red-headed weasels," said Blaise in a joking tone.

Theo cheeks colored slightly but said nothing to the jest.

None of the men said anything for a few minutes. Draco's mind whirled. He needed Potter. He had to talk to him, or simply have him talk to Hermione. He needed to know about her.

Draco's head snapped up looking at Blaise, "Could you find him?"

Blaise didn't say anything for a moment.

Speaking softly, he replied, "There might be a possibility. Ideally, I'd keep the Ministry out of it and take Theo. It could take a while, but there is a chance to find him."

"Then I want you to take it. I'll fund everything. Can you both take time off?"

Theo nodded, "I'm free to come and go as I please. I only take cases I want to and no doubt my staff would be happy for me to take a leave of absence."

Blaise nodded, echoing Theo's statement, "I'm sure my department as well will be more than happy for a leave of absence. Our cases have slowed considerably, so the department head has been practically begging for people to take leave."

"How soon can you leave? I can have funds available immediately and I have numerous favors I can cash in if need be."

Blaise smiled, "I can be ready by tomorrow, and don't worry about funds or favors. I have plenty of those to cash in as well."

Theo nodded, "I think we all have our share of favors we can call upon. I second the decline of funds. I don't particularly care about Potter but hearing Granger's plight has turned me to the cause. Not to mention, you are the one asking."

Draco was glad for their friendship. They had stuck with him through thick and thin. The other Slytherins had called him a traitor, threatened him, and had ostracized him. Theo and Blaise hadn't. They had picked him up after the war and pieced him back together. He was lucky they had stopped him from drowning his sorrows in a bottle of firewhiskey every day. He owed the two men a lot and he would owe them more for agreeing to this.

The three men plotted and planned out the search effort until Draco had to call a halt to the discussion as it was time to care to Granger. The men gave hearty handshakes and set a time to reconvene the next day to further plan before Theo and Blaise set off. As the two men stepped through the floo, Draco thought about what Blaise had told him. If they found him, Draco might have to refrain himself from calling Potter out on his bullshit. Yet, he also knew that when Potter found out about what Hermione had gone through, the guilt would punish him sufficiently.


	11. Struggle

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

Warning: This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

A/N: Hello my lovely readers! I hope you are enjoying the story. Things are getting thicker and thicker. Thank you once again for all your kind reviews. Keep them coming! Love as always- DCP

Chapter 11: Struggle

After Theo and Blaise had left, Draco had gone to wake Hermione from her spelled sleep. He discovered, thankfully in time, something had gone wrong. When he stepped into the room, she was sprawled across the bed. Her face was red and slicked with sweat. He rushed to the bedside and immediately pulled his wand out. As he was performing the monitoring spells, he pulled the blankets off of her. The sheets underneath her were stained bright red centering around her lower half. He frantically called for Bee and vanished her clothes, not taking time to pull them off. Bee delivered his medical bag, and once again in less than 24 hours, he set to work.

Hours passed in the small bedroom, and light turned to darkness.

He had finally healed the internal bleeding in her cervix that had reopened, no doubt due to her movements while sleeping. He determined that the woman was better off sleeping for now than to attempt to wake her again. Spells to nourish her, relieve her bladder, and calm her fever were applied. He rarely used those type of spells as they caused dependency on the part of the body. The body could forget how to work, but every now and again did no harm. After the spells took effect and her vitals were stable, he collapsed in an armchair near the bed. He leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes.

The house was so quiet, but his mind was spinning. He still couldn't believe that the Potter he had seen only the day before was a fake. He thought back on the times he had seen Hermione in the past three years. He had caught glimpses of her a few months after the Battle at Hogwarts. She was usually hurrying somewhere, and she was always alone. Now that he had thought back on it, it was strange that she was always alone. The whole of Gryffindor always seemed close to the Golden Trio, especially people like Longbottom and the she-Weasley. It is possible that Hermione had remained in contact with her friends, but he saw no evidence of it. This could be something he could investigate while Blaise and Theo searched for Potter.

He heard Bee bustling around the bed, muttering to herself. He knew that any attempt to help Bee would be met with glares and stern words, so he turned back to his thoughts. He had to think of a way to communicate with Blaise and Theo while they searched. He didn't want the Ministry to catch wind of what he was doing. Maybe two pieces of paper that mirrored what was written on one, or perhaps he could find a trained bird other than an owl to carry letters. Then he remembered the galleons that Hermione had used during fifth year and the ones he had used to communicate with Madam Rosmerta in sixth. He was surprised he hadn't thought of that first. Those would work better than a piece of paper. They couldn't get wet like paper and they couldn't get captured like an animal. He made a note to enchant some galleons in the morning for the three of them. He was too exhausted tonight to do much more magic. Tomorrow he would try to wake Hermione up permanently. She needed proper food to heal and the magical coma was dangerous when used too long.

He sighed.

Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day to be sure. He pushed himself out of the armchair and took one more look at the woman. Bee had cleaned her up once again, and somehow had changed the linens without him hearing. She looked as she did this morning, but with a little more color to her cheeks. Bee had placed herself in another armchair on the other side of the bed and was continuing her knitting from yesterday. He gave his elf a small smile and she waved him off. Thankfully his rooms were close to hers in an event that anything happened during the night. Once he had eaten what Bee had set out for him and taken a shower, he laid back in his bed. He hoped, just a small sliver of hope, that maybe she would speak to him tomorrow.

…..

Draco woke up the next morning with a nervous feeling in his stomach. Not only was he worried for what he was asking of Blaise and Theo, he was also worried about Hermione. He didn't want her to presume that he had done anything unwarranted against her or had betrayed her trust in anyway. He decided that he would wait to wake her until Theo and Blaise had left. Draco quickly dressed, shaved, and swallowed some toast to get ready for the two men to arrive. He worked on the galleons in his office and he waited for the men to arrive. The floo in his office rang precisely at 8 o'clock and he opened it immediately for the men. Theo stepped through first, seemingly out of character in a pair of muggle jeans and overcoat. Blaise promptly followed in a similar outfit.

"Don't you two look very Muggle. New fashion trend?" Draco teased.

"Oh, you bloody well known it's to blend in mate," Blaise said brushing off his teasing.

Theo raised an elegantly groomed eyebrow, "You can't deny that you, yourself have been known to wear Muggle fashion, quite frequently in fact."

Draco held up his hands in surrender, "How could I even question the superior knowledge of a top Auror and a lawyer? Forgive my indecency gentlemen."

Blaise laughed heartily while Theo grinned, "Mate, I'm glad you got that stick out of your arse. Never liked when you were that arrogant little prat."

"I don't think anyone liked me then, well actually, maybe Pansy."

"She would have fancied you even if you covered yourself in Butterbeer and started telling people they were minions of the niffler overlord," said Blaise still chuckling.

Theo brushed a piece of ash off his jacket, "I imagine you don't miss her whinging and pining over you."

Draco sighed sadly, "Yeah, I don't miss that part, but I do miss her friendship. We had known each other since we were born. She didn't deserve to die like she did."

The men didn't talk for a few minutes as the memories rushed forward. Pansy had been murdered during the resurgence of Death Eaters two years ago. The group hadn't liked that Pansy had changed her ways and with the majority of Pansy's family dead, she was the perfect target to make an example out of. The three men had mourned their friend's death together.

Draco cleared his throat, pushing back the memories, "Is everything prepared for you to leave? Is there anything you need?"

Theo shook his head, "We are traveling light to avoid detection. Blaise has a list of leads from the past few months that we will work through."

Blaise nodded and continued Theo's statement, "The majority of the leads are supposed sightings of Potter, usually in England. I am going to disregard those and focus on other leads and sightings more foreign. I doubt Potter is taking a vacation in Clovelly."

"Since I know better than to trust the Ministry, I've stolen an idea of Hermione's once again, so we can communicate," Draco said as he handed the men the two galleons, he had spelled for them.

"All you have to do is place your wand on it and will it to say what you want. My coin will heat up and display your message. They can't display a ton of information, but they are charmed to only work for you two. They are perfect for security and they are resistant to the elements."

"Always knew that woman was a brilliant witch," Blaise muttered as he turned the galleon in his hand.

The men discussed the plans in further detail. It seemed Blaise wanted to start his search in Thailand, where a report of a Caucasian wizard who traveled in the jungle was discovered by a local shaman. The two men seemed eager to start their journey, so Draco wished them well and reminded them to use the coin to keep him updated. Bee popped into the room with food and rations to help in their journey. Handshakes were exchanged and then the two men left, leaving the house once again silent.

The ancient grandfather clock chimed 10 o'clock

It was time to wake Hermione Granger up.


	12. Awake

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

Warning: This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

Author's Note: Hello my gorgeous readers! I am enjoying all the reviews! Thank you to everyone who has told me that they are sharing the story. It really means a lot to me! Keep the reviews, follows, and sharing up! Also, Happy Holidays to everyone! Love Always! - DCP

Chapter 12: Awake

She was warm.

So warm.

Fuck, her body hurt.

She could feel the sunlight on her face.

Where was she?

….oh.

She remembered.

Her body felt heavy.

She tried to move, but a hand stopped her.

"Hermione? Can you open your eyes?"

The voice was warm.

She knew that voice.

She struggled to open her eyes. They slowly obeyed her command and opened. She blinked in the bright light of the room. Her vision was blurry. She blinked slowly a few times until the room sharpened in focus. She remembered the room from the first time she had awakened here. It was a lovely room, full of white linens and windows. Her eyes passed over the room until they landed on the source of the voice.

Malfoy.

He was looking at her with concern on his face. His hair hung over his face in messy blond waves. His gray eyes were wide as they looked at her.

"Hermione? Can you hear me? Can you nod?" he said quietly.

She noticed that he hadn't removed his hand, but she still nodded slightly. The movement hurt like hell.

"Excellent! I want to run you through some spells to check your vitals. One of your wounds reopened last night."

He drew out his wand and Hermione flinched.

Why had she done that?

She didn't mean to.

"It's alright Hermione. I didn't mean to scare you. I promise you, these are just standard healing monitoring spells."

Malfoy's voice was soothing, like she was a wild animal rather than a woman. She couldn't blame him, she had flinched.

She closed her eyes as he began to mutter underneath his breath. What seemed to be only a few moments later he sighed.

She opened her eyes again to see him rummaging through a small bag on a desk. He pulled out three vials and moved back towards her.

"I'm going to need you to take these Hermione. Your body isn't healing as I had hoped."

"This one," he said pointing to a vial with a cloudy white potion inside, "is a brew I created. It encourages the body to heal at a faster rate. The other two are a pain potion and a blood replenishing potion."

Seeing that he was waiting for something, she nodded slightly. He uncorked the potions and helped her drink them.

"Once those have been down for a while, I want to start you on something substantial for food. Do you think you are up for it?"

She nodded. She needed to tell him that she needed the loo, but she didn't have confidence in her voice.

Seeming to notice her squirming he said, "I'll levitate you to the bathroom and Bee will help you use the toilet. You are healed enough for a bath if you'd like. I am sure you would prefer to be alone, but Bee is there for your safety and to make sure you don't overexert yourself."

Ha, of course he would have a house elf. She had barely remembered the little elf who had helped her with the loo when she had first awakened. She couldn't help but frown at him. Once a pureblood, always a pureblood.

Draco smiled, "I know what you're thinking Hermione, but as I told you she is a free elf and she is paid."

Hermione was shocked. She hadn't remembered him telling her that. She almost felt guilty of thinking the worst of him, he had saved her.

Malfoy chuckled at her and took out his wand again. She felt herself lift up and move towards a door on the opposite wall. She closed her eyes as she felt herself rocking side to side. A door opened, and she was lowered onto a small armchair situated in a sitting room within the bathroom. With a pop, an elf with a little blue dress appeared at her elbow. Hermione jumped at her sudden appearance. Seeing the elf, Malfoy closed the door.

The elf smiled at her and introduced herself, "Hello Miss, I'm Bee. I is a free elf Miss. Master was worried about Master having elves, so Bee told him that Bee would tell the Miss that she was a free elf."

The elf seemed pleased with herself over this revelation. Hermione nodded at the elf and smiled weakly. Bee snapped a finger and Hermione once again felt her body lift. She was settled onto the toilet to do her business. Around her, the elf busied herself with drawing a bath for her. Once Hermione was done, Bee cleaned her, tsking over the faded bruises on her thighs. She snapped again, and Hermione found herself unclothed and being settled into the warm bath.

She hadn't seen herself naked yet.

She surveyed the damage.

Fuck.

Bee pushed her out of her thoughts as she helped bathe her. She felt her eyes close and she drifted asleep. She awoke with a jolt back in the bed clothed in a soft pair of pajamas when a hand pressed into her forehead. She instinctively flinched away from it. The hand moved away quickly.

"Do you still feel well enough to try and eat?"

She didn't open her eyes, but she nodded.

She felt two hands help her sit up and she reluctantly opened her eyes. It was almost dark.

Malfoy was sitting in a chair beside the bed holding a bowl of what looked like porridge. He spooned some up and offered it to her. It was bland but filling. Her eyes began to droop as she finished the bowl. She heard Malfoy set the bowl down and push his chair back. She heard muttering and the last thing she heard was the door softly closing.

.........

She was dreaming.

She had to be dreaming.

She couldn't stop running.

She looked behind her.

He was running after her.

She couldn't let him catch her.

She stumbled.

Oh god no!

Fuck!

Fuck!

He kicked her.

Punched her.

Hurt her.

Fuck!

Help!

Someone! Please!

Wake up!

Wake up!

Please!

WAKE UP!

..........

"Hermione! Hermione! Wake up!"

Hands shook her shoulders. Her eyes snapped opened to a dark room, save a small candle on the bedside table. Malfoy was staring at her, his face close to her own.

Her body shook, and she couldn't control the sobs leaving her.

She screamed until her throat was raw and her sobs were so hard that her chest felt like it was breaking.

Somehow Malfoy had sat next to her and eased her form down onto his lap.

She felt his hand passing over her hair and she heard his whispers of comfort.

She cried and screamed and sobbed for what seemed like hours, yet the hand and whispers did not dissipate.

As her sobs quieted, she felt a warm cloth move against her raw eyes and face. The man holding her moved, tucking her back into bed. He felt her forehead and wiped her face once again. She felt a potion bottle against her lips and she swallowed its contents. The potion tasted like honey and soothed her raw throat. She felt warm, calm, and sleepy.

A soft voice permeated her thoughts, "I know you aren't ready now, but I hope you can tell me one day. For now, just know, no matter what, you'll be okay Hermione. I promise you that."

And for a second time, the last thing she heard before she went to sleep was the door closing softly as the man left.


	13. Heal

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

Warning: This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

A/N: Hello my readers! I hope you are having a lovely holiday week, or just a lovely week if you don't celebrate! This weeks chapter is a hard one. It took a lot to write, but I hope some things start to make sense! As always, I have enjoyed reading your reviews and lovely comments. Once again, people are saying they are sharing my fic around, which to me is like an amazing gift. Thank you always for reading, reviewing, and sharing this little fic. Until Next Week! Love Always - DCP

Chapter 13: Heal

As Draco shut the door to the room, he slid down onto the floor. Pushing his back into the wood of the door, he closed his eyes. He had woken up to her screams. He thought it was one of the dreams. He frequently dreamed about her laying on the floor at Malfoy Manor while his aunt tortured her. His mother had held his hand squeezing it when he could feel himself trying to turn away. Aunt Bella would have punished him severely if she had seen him look away. Once he had realized that it was not a dream, he had rushed over to the room and flicked his wand alight. She had been convulsing on the bed. The blankets had been pushed off her no doubt due to her turning and tossing. The shaft of light from his wand showed him that she was soaked in sweat. He summoned a candle and lit it, so he could set down his wand. He grabbed her shoulders and tried to wake her up.

He shook her and shouted, "Hermione! Hermione! Wake up!"

Her eyes snapped open, brown on gray.

Then she broke.

He didn't know what to do.

He followed his instinct and sat on the bed next to her. Being as gentle as possible, he laid her back down and settled her head on one of his legs. He made sure not to force her as he moved her. She moved willingly, and he felt tears wet his pajama pants as she sobbed.

She screamed.

She sobbed.

She cried.

He tried to comfort her by stroking her hair and whispering to her that everything was going to be okay.

Eventually she cried herself out and she merely hiccupped. Bee had heard the noise and brought him a basin of warm water and a cloth. He washed the tears from her face and moved to tuck her back into bed. Concerned that she had worked herself up too much, he felt her forehead. She was warm, but not feverish. He pulled a potion from his bag for her throat, uncorked it, and placed it against her lips. She opened her mouth and drank it. Draco could tell she was exhausted. He wondered what had upset her, what she had been dreaming about. She had gone through a lot in her life, so much so that Draco couldn't guess what she could have been dreaming about. He wanted to comfort her, to say something. He just didn't know what to say.

So, he said the only thing he could think of, "I know you aren't ready now, but I hope you can tell me one day. For now, just know, no matter what, you'll be okay Hermione. I promise you that."

Then he had left.

And here he was.

Tears of his own began to leak down his face.

It reminded him of his mother.

She had had nights like these.

Her screams would wake him up and she would cry for hours in her son's arms. His mother's screams peppered memories of his childhood.

He knew what had happened to her.

He had seen it.

It had been his first Death Eater meeting. They had been celebrating over a successful raid of a muggle town. The men had gotten drunk and the Dark Lord had called for his mother. She had walked towards him, usually proud head bent in submission. The Dark Lord looked her over, smiling.

"Oh, my proud little Cissy, how you have wilted. Lucius, you've offered her to me, have you not?"

His father had bowed his head, "Of course, my lord. Anything you wish."

The Dark Lord chuckled and flicked his wand. His mother's blue dress tore off in strips of cloth and small rivers of blood stained her white skin from the severing spell.

Draco watched with horror as the Dark Lord raised his wand and yelled, "Crucio!"

His mother screamed and writhed in pain, but the Dark Lord did not stop there. He opened his robes, pulled his twisted cock out and proceeded to rape his mother.

Draco had tried to run, but his father had put a hand on his shoulder, "Watch. Show no weakness."

Once the Dark Lord was spent, he waved more men towards his mother and Draco was forced to watch as more and more men raped his mother. His beautiful mother who in public was the pureblood woman she was supposed to be, but in private she was a loving mother. She adored Draco and had shielded him from the worst of his father's wrath, even if it meant taking the brunt of it.

He had remembered the tears that had blurred his vision and the vomit that had spilled into his mouth. He had held his mother that night as they had both sobbed. He remembered cleaning her face and calling for a house elf to help him heal her. Later he had found out that it wasn't the first time it had happened to her, she had gone through it in the first wizarding war. She had sobbed as she had told him the numerous miscarriages she had gone through because of those nights. His mother fell in a deep depression. She only smiled for him it seemed. After the war, she still struggled. His father was in Azkaban for life, but the pain his mother felt was still too deep. He had come home after a long day of studying to find her dead, potion bottles littered around her.

The memories were too much for him.

As he leaned against the door, he sobbed for the mother he had lost, and for a woman he barely knew.

...

That night was one of his worst since his mother died. He dreamt of her...of them. It was like...he couldn't separate them. And judging by the paleness of her skin, Hermione had a bad night as well. That morning he had told her that he had to go back to his patients, but she had not even spared him a glance. As he shut the door on her room, he looked at Bee who he had asked to stay outside while he told her.

"Bee, keep an eye on her, will you? If anything changes in her condition, come to my office."

Bee nodded her head and pushed into the room to tend to the woman.

That day at work was difficult. His dreams pushed into the day and his worry over the woman addled his mind. When he returned home, Bee informed him that Hermione had not said a word all day. She hadn't done anything all day in fact, she had just sat in the bed and looked out of the window. When he checked her, nothing had changed. He hadn't expected much after the episode, but he had hoped there would be slight healing.

The week passed, and Hermione remained the same. She wouldn't talk, she just stared out of the window. He could tell that her state wasn't conducive to healing, magical healing was different from muggle. The patient's magic needed to want to be healed. He tried to speak with her every night, just a little, to attempt to get something out of her, if only to bring her out of her depression. He knew that what had happened that night had changed something for her, made it real perhaps. Her body wasn't mending. He wanted to do something, anything to bring her out of it.

One night, as he was talking to her, he mentioned that he remembered that she had had a cat. He remembered the fluffy, orange ugly thing that stalked the castle. When he mentioned the cat, Granger turned her head and looked at him.

"His name was Crookshanks," she said her voice low and cracking from disuse.

"I didn't remember his name. I remember that grumpy thing rubbing against my ankles a time or two and getting orange hair all over my robes," he chuckled at the memory, "Took me forever to get rid of it. I kept finding little orange hairs everywhere for weeks."

"Whatever happened to him?" he said.

Granger looked at him, tears spilling down her face.

"He died."

With that, she turned away and shut her eyes. He didn't know what to say to that. He tried to speak with her more, but her eyes remained shut. He decided to leave her, knowing that he might have brought up memories that may have done more harm than help.

As he readied for bed, he kept thinking about the woman. Her condition was not good. Her depression was inhibiting her body from healing, and if some joy wasn't found for her, he was afraid her condition would regress. He kept thinking about Hermione and her cat. She had loved the cat.

Perhaps, maybe...

He didn't want to upset her, but...

...

The next afternoon, after he had attended to his last patient, he told Isla to take the rest of the day off. With the clinic closed, he made his way down Diagon Alley to a little shop named Fantastic Fabulous Furry Fiesta. He swung open the door and step into a warm little shop filled with the noises of creatures rustling in their cages and perches. A beaded curtain was pushed open by a woman with long hair nearly as light as his and with pale blue eyes.

In a dreamy voice she said, "Oh Hello Draco. What brings you here today?"

"Ah, yes Ms. Lovegood. I would like to purchase a cat."


	14. Speak

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

Warning: This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

A/N: Happy New Year my readers! I’m sorry I missed my usual Monday upload. My computer charger wasn’t working when I unpacked it once I got to my hotel! Absolutely love all the kind reviews I’ve gotten in the past week. Reading them makes me think my writing is worth something. So keep sharing my story and reviewing. My love to you always - DCP

Chapter 14: Speak

"Oh, I daresay Mr. Malfoy, you've come to the right place."

Luna Lovegood was as strange as ever. Her long blonde hair featured tiny braids with various feathers and beads braided into them. Her dark blue robes had a pattern of gold little nifflers embroidered onto them and around her neck was a necklace made from butterbeer caps. He had known she had run a shop in Diagon Alley for a year or so. He had brought one of his owls to see her in fact when Atlas had a hurt wing. She was one of the best animal healers in the wizarding world, and if you ignore the talk of nonexistent animals, quite a good conversationalist. Strangely enough, she had always been kind to him. Even after everything had happened. He supposed either she was completely bonkers, or she was genuinely a nice person.

"Yes Ms. Lovegood. I would like to adopt a kitten. Preferably a half-kneazle if you have one."

"Oh yes, we have a few that are looking for homes, from the same litter you see. The mother got sick with kneazle fever. I had to raise them myself. I daresay they aren't very popular. Not many witches and wizards want a half-kneazle," her breathy voice replied.

She motioned for him to wait and she disappeared behind the beaded curtain again. Only a few moments late she returned with a covered large basket.

"They are sleeping at the moment, but I am sure they will wake up soon. They do love strangers."

She placed the basket on the counter before him and pulled aside the blanket. There lay four little kittens curled up around each other. Three of them were a beautiful burnt orange with soft little brown stripes and off to the side, somewhat away from the three yet still cuddling, was a small little fluffy black one. They all began to stretch and yawn as they reacted to the sudden appearance of light. They began to mew at him and stretch out their little heads to be touched. He gave in to them and set to giving them all scratches and pets.

"Oh my, they all seem to like you very much. Quite unusual for kneazles even half-knealzles you see. They are amazing judges of character," said the strange witch, her pale blue eyes twinkling at him.

He noticed that the little black one was a bit shy at first, but soon it was fighting for his attention. The other kittens seemed to tire of him and began to play with the various toys in the basket, but the black kitten did not abate in its quest for affection.

"That one nearly didn't make it. She was the smallest of the litter and was very ill when I took them in. She was a fighter though." The blonde smiled lovingly at the little kitten and stroked its small head.

He had decided in that moment.

"I'll take her."

He left the shop with a small little basket and supplies for the kitten. Lovegood had assured him apparation was alright for the kneazle kitten, so he headed home in a hurry. Without even setting down his work bag, he burst into Hermione’s room. She was sitting upright in her bed, knees drawn up, arms wrapped around them, and looking out the window. She didn't turn as he came in, so he had time to hide the basket behind his back. He approached the bed, but still she did not turn. He slowly put the basket on the bed and waited. The little kitten pushed its head out of the basket and looked around. It leapt out of the basket, onto the bed, and headed straight for the woman. The kitten looked up at the woman and gave a long little meow. Hermione whipped her head around and looked at the kitten.

Draco hurried to say something, "I, uh, adopted a cat. I've always wanted one, but, uh, didn't know where to start. I figured you could help with teaching me how to take care of her. And of course with my work schedule..."

Hermione tore her eyes away from the kitten and looked at him. She looked back down at the kitten and gingerly picked her up. The kitten immediately started purring and nestled herself into the woman's arms.

"Do you mind? Helping me, that is..."

Hermione looked at him again and said, "Black cats don't get adopted much...in the muggle world. People think they are bad luck."

"I have the utmost confidence that this little kitten has no bad luck whatsoever. She is half-kneazle. Full kneazles are supposed to be good luck so this little girl must have some luck in her."

Hermione smiled softly at the kitten in her arms that was playing with the ends of her hair. He hadn't her smile since she had awoken. It was nice to see.

"I do have another request. Would you mind helping me name her? I've never been good with names. Take Bee, for instance. I named her when I was three. Everything was named Bee, though, when I really think about it." He chuckled from the memory.

"Are you sure?"

Her voice trembled a bit.

He nodded.

"Of course, pick a few and I'll do the same. We will come up with a great name for her together."

He stayed a little longer to set up the kitten's water, food, and the ever-clean litter box Lovegood has suggested.

He came out of the small sitting room beside the main room to see Hermione cuddled with the kitten, both fast asleep. With a smile on his face, he closed the door softly on the sleeping inhabitants. He supposed he did have some good ideas occasionally, but only occasionally.

"Luna? Hecate? Artemis?"

Hermione shook her head at him, "Too cliché."

"Um, Noir, Nero, Preto?"

"You can't just keep saying black in different languages."

"I'm at a loss Hermione. Any ideas? You must have some idea Ms. Brightest Witch of Our Age."

She pushed the hair in her face away. She had begun to get some color in her cheeks again. Dealing with a rambunctious kitten seemed to be putting life back into her. She had even toddled into his office a day ago to ask him to help her bathe the little kitten who decided to take a dip into her soup. For three nights they had discussed names. Nothing seemed to suit the little ball of fluff. It was decided that silly names were out because of the intelligent nature of the kitten and now cliché names were out as well. Hermione took a lock of hair into a hand and nervously threaded her fingers through.

"Kiri."

"Hmm?"

"Kiri."

He gave her a puzzled look, "Kiri?"

"Marui tamago mo kiri yō de shikaku, mono mo ii yō de kado ga tatsu. Even a round egg can be made square in the way you cut it, words can be sharp in the way you speak them," she said with a pensive look on her face.

"Japanese?"

She nodded, "My parents loved all kinds of proverbs. They were the solution to every problem I had. That one was one of their favorites, especially when I was in primary school. They never wanted me to speak harshly against another person. Kiri means end in its rawest form. Not all endings are bad."

"Kiri hitoha. One leaf of paulownia," he said.

She cocked her head at him, "I am not familiar with that one."

"The leaves of a paulownia fall in early autumn. They signify the end of summer and the coming of winter. The falling of a single leaf is seen as a bad omen."

Hermione twiddled her fingers at the kitten who was contently batting at them, "Regardless of the meaning, I think it suits her. It's surely better than your latest name suggestions."

"I am hurt that you didn't like Minerva 2.0."

She rolled her eyes at him.

"Well, Kiri it is. I'll have to stop by and tell Lovegood how she is doing it."

Her face brightened at the name, "Luna?"

"Ah, yes. Luna. She has a shop in the Alley that specializes in magical pets."

He thought back on the conversation he had with the woman.

"Kneazles always remind me of Hermione. She had that cute little orange part kneazle at school. He was always bringing me little bottlecaps. Smart little fellow he was. I wonder how they are both doing."

He was careful in his phrasing, "Oh, do you keep in touch?"

The woman cocked her head, her long blonde falling over her shoulder, "Oh no. Hermione and I were friends in a way, but never as much as Harry and Ron were. I wrote her once maybe a year ago. When I didn't get a return owl, I figured she was busy. She was always like that. She will always be a friend to me, we will meet again. I should find some fresh cinnamon bark. It could be the wazzypuffs getting in between us."

"That seems like a suitable job for her. She was always such a kind soul. I miss her warmth."

"Hermione, would you..."

TAP...TAP... TAP...TAP...

A furious tapping sounded on the window and he simultaneously felt the coin in his pocket heat up. He opened the window to a black raven with a scroll on its leg. He untied the scroll and pushed it into his trouser pocket.

"Please excuse me Hermione. I must take care of this. It is an urgent piece of business."

She nodded and gave him a small wave as he left the room. As soon as he shut the door, he unraveled the scroll and brought out the coin. The scroll was a list of dead leads. The coin, however, read in metal letters,

We found him.


	15. Darkness

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

Warning: This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, suicide, and content of the sexual nature.

A/N: Happy Monday readers. The chapter this week is hard... Just know that you have to go deep into the dark to appreciate the light. I had a question about how many chapters I plan this fic to be. I have planned out about 40 or so! There is a lot to get through, but I could shorten that length or go even longer depending! Love Always- DCP

Chapter 15: Darkness

Darkness...

Silence...

Pain...

Memories...

Days bleed into nights, night bleed into days.

Memories turned into dreams, dreams turned into memories.

Ever since the night Draco had held her sobbing form, her life had turned to gray. Everything had culminated. Her doubts and fears about Ron had finally crashed upon her. She had given up hope for him. For the past few years she had held onto the hope, the hope that he would be the man she had loved. She had finally accepted that he would never be that man again. After three years, she knew he was gone.

What would happen to her?

She passed up some many opportunities. But, because she stayed hoping, she was stuck. Stuck in a shit position in a department that barely bothered with her name some days.

Who cared?

Fuck, it didn't seem like anyone did.

No one fucking noticed. No one noticed when she moved carefully, when she forgot to cover a bruise, when she 'forgot' to show up to an office event. No one noticed.

Could she run?

She doubted it. He would catch her. He kept her tired, beaten, and wandless most of the time. She barely had enough energy to cast a simple charm.

Who would she run to?

Her parents? Dead. Murdered by Death Eaters before they even managed to get out of the country all those years ago. They died without even remembering their daughter.

Her friends? Gone. Harry apparently hadn't cared enough about her, he left her with a monster. Ginny? Too busy living the quidditch fantasy. Neville? She didn't even know where he was. So much for friends.

His family? Ha. As if they would believe her. Molly wouldn't believe her son could do something like that. Hermione knew Molly hadn't liked her much. Arthur? He would submit to Molly.

Did Draco? Yeah right. He was a fucking healer. It was his job to take care of broken things.

She was starting to trust him more and more, but she was just an unwanted burden. His behavior was simply an obligation as a healer. She was there simply because he pitied her. She amounted to nothing. She had no one in this world. She was weak, too weak to fend off the attacks, too weak to even leave Ron. Surely Draco thought that too. Maybe he had figured it out. Maybe he knew what happened. He certainly treated her like a scared animal that was about to run.

She was pathetic.

She was tired. So tired. Tired of the pain. Tired of the suffering. Too tired to rebuild her life. Nothing could rebuild her fucked up life.

It would be easy to just end it.

She could do it in a muggle way, with rope. No, that wouldn't work. Bee was always around her trying to coax life into her. Maybe she could ask to shave her legs, maybe get a razor, request some time alone in the bath. She knew the warm water would make it fast and easy. She would just drift away in the warmth. Or perhaps she could throw herself off the balcony. Draco's flat was high up. She was sure she would be dead if she threw herself off. Or maybe she could do something less...messy. She could sneak into the kitchen and search for an herb. She knew Bee had to have a collection for cooking. She knew she could find something. Anything really to induce death.

But...

If she died in those ways, maybe Draco would be blamed. She couldn't have that.

Right?

But she knew she had to die. She had to escape. Escape this fucked up version of her life that shouldn't be. Her life wasn't supposed to be like this! She was tortured on the floor of the man's house that was healing her. Fuck, she lived through a war.

IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THIS.

She needed to escape.

She didn't want to eat, didn't want to sleep, didn't want to wake up, didn't want to do anything except tear at her hair and skin.

Tear it all away.

Bee would urge her to eat, she would read stories to her, and she would brush her hair nicely. But nothing helped.

She was empty.

Death...

Death was the ultimate escape.

She would turn to Death and welcome him in her arms.

She wanted to die.

She felt her body giving up.

She didn't care.

She thought about it, just giving up.

Maybe...maybe the wizarding way was better.

It was easy for witches and wizards to do it.

One simple spell, that's all she needed.

She didn't have her wand, Ron still had it. He hadn't let her have it that night, like every night.

Maybe...

Maybe...she could take Draco's.

She could sneak in his room. He probably kept it close. She couldn't simply ask him. She doubted he would leave her alone with his wand given her condition, but she noticed he seemed to be comfortable going without his wand. Which seemed strange for a man who lived with Voldemort, but she figured three years was enough time to heal, in some ways.

Draco came to see her every night after he left his office for the day. He tried to talk to her. She didn't want to talk. He still did. She kept her face turned away from him. She didn't want to look at him, he always looked genuine. She also wanted to hide her tears that would stream down her cheeks. He was just so nice. She didn't want to pretend. He would suck her into pretending. If she started to, it would just stop. It would end, just like everything did for her.

Could she do it?

She should just do it.

Escape.

For him.

She noticed he was drained. From the moment she had woken up, he looked exhausted. She knew healing her had put a strain on his magic. He looked tired every night when he came to talk to her. He used magic every night to try to heal her.

She didn't deserve it.

She didn't deserve to be cared for.

She snuck to his room. She had tiptoed down the hall so softly, so as not to disturb the sleeping inhabitants of the house. She quietly turned the handle to his door, it wasn't locked.

She expected it to be locked.

She made her way to the bed, covered in soft white linens, much like her own.

His wand was on a bedside table, hawthorn gleaming in the twilight.

She moved to take it in her hand.

A few inches closer... and she could take it.

She grabbed the smooth wood and felt the magic surge beneath her fingers. While it wasn't her wand, she could make it do what she needed it to. She held it to her temple. She knew she had to mean the words.

Fuck.

She would mean them.

Tears fell down her face.

She opened her mouth and felt her mouth start to form the first word.

She had barely whispered 'Avada" when a soft cry startled her. She looked over to the sleeping man. Draco twisted in the sheets, his pale skin covered by the white. His pale face glistened in the moonlight, covered in what looked like tears.

"Mother, Mother, Mother, no. Please, anything. Anything but her."

What was she doing? She couldn't do this. Fuck. She couldn't. Fuck.

She put down his wand, backed away and let herself out of the room.

She made her way back to the room. As she laid on the bed, she thought about what she saw. What had happened to him? What had happened to his mother? She didn't remember what had happened to her? Should she ask?

He seemed like he was hurting.

Was he hurting like she was?

She fell asleep to her thoughts about the man who had taken care of her. Would he blame himself if she died? Could she bring him more hurt?

Then he brought her the kitten, the little fluffy black kitten. She was such a good kitten, well, if you ignored all the normal kitten behavior. And Draco needed her helped. He asked her to help. He didn't know how to take care of a cat. She did.

Little Kiri reminded her of Crooks. When Kiri fell into her soup, Hermione remembered when Crooks fell into her porridge one day in the Great Hall when he was reaching over her to get some bacon. She was late to Transfiguration that day and Professor McGonagall had given her a disapproving look as she tried to quietly enter the class room a few minutes late. Draco was so kind to her when she rushed to him covered in soup asking for his help bathing Kiri. Turns out, just like Crooks, bathing charms don't work on kneazle fur, even half-kneazles. They had to bathe Kiri the muggle way, in the kitchen sink.

The little kitten gave her a purpose. She had to stay, she had to help Draco. Her need to escape was dampened. She had to stay, just until the little one was older. Then she could go. Maybe by that time she could find a better way to end it.

She remembered when Draco had asked her if she wanted to stay in the house. It was one of the first nights he had visited her after he went back to work.

…..

She was turned away from him, as usual.

"Er, Hermione. When you are fully healed, would you like to return to your home? Or, um, stay with someone else?"

She has thought on it for only a second. She had nowhere to go. She shook her head no lightly and continued her stare out of the window.

Draco cleared his throat, "Well, I've left out some parchment and a quill for you if you need to contact anyone. Bee will make sure they get where they need to go."

…..

She had written only one person, her supervisor at the ministry. She sent him a resignation letter. But as she held the quill, all she wanted to do was write Harry. She wanted the real Harry back. She wanted the only semblance to family she had left to be back, but just like the others, he had left her alone. She knew she would have to tell Draco. She couldn't just stay in his house without him knowing. She wasn't ready to get anyone else involved. Her mind simply wouldn't allow it. She didn't even know how she was going tell him.

And there she sat, alone once again, watching Draco's back as he left with the newly named Kiri purring in her lap. Wishing for her long-lost friend.


	16. Ruse

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

Warning: This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, suicide, and content of the sexual nature.

A/N: Happy Monday my dear readers! Last chapter was a hard one. I got some messages concerning the topic. Just know that the darkness is beginning the lift. I'm hoping to get next week's chapter out on time, but I have quite a busy month. I've just had my birthday, I have my anniversary, and I'll be getting married in about two weeks so whew. Busy, busy, busy. I will try my very best to get it out on time, but if not I will have it up on asap! As always, thank you for reviews, messages, shares, follows, likes and everything else. You guys are awesome! Love always! - DCP

Chapter 16: Ruse

Draco hurried to his office. He had barely opened the door when the coin in his hand burned again. He lifted it up to his face and read the word emblazoned on the surface, Floo one minute. He placed himself in front of his fireplace and awaited the call. The floo bell rang and Blaise's face appeared in the green flames. Even through the flames, Draco could see the dirt on the man's face and the haggard look of his clothes and overall demeanor. The normally tidy man was unshaven and unkempt all around.

"You look like shit Blaise."

Blaise glared at him, "You'd look like shit too, Drake. We've been chasing a ghost for weeks."

There was nothing like a grumpy Blaise.

"He's a ghost no more according to your message."

Blaise ran a hand over the stubble over his chin and sighed, "Theo and I are still attempting to make contact. We just managed to sight him."

"Where are you exactly?"

Blaise looked worried, "Perhaps I shouldn't say."

The man indicated the surroundings. The wizarding world wasn't completely healed from the years of the Dark Lord. People were still highly paranoid and floo connections were still watched by Aurors, especially people like him. Blaise knew this well.

"This connection is secured Blaise. I've sometimes had to attend to the clinic business over Floo and it was highly annoying to watch what we had to say so I took care of it. I was finally given a permit by the Ministry last week as I am a licensed healer. You don't have to worry about someone overhearing."

Blaise shook his head, "Good, good. We are currently in Hong Kong. I got a tip from an informant that he saw Potter wandering the streets of the city. Interestingly, the same man saw Potter head into the wizarding part of the city. I would think he would have stayed away from wizarding places if he didn't want to be found."

Draco rubbed his chin in thought, "Perhaps he underestimated the reach of his own fame, always the humble one he was. Hong Kong is quite a way from England even though it does go against the whole soul searching thing he wanted to do."

"Theo came to a similar conclusion. We are planning to follow him as soon as my informant gets another lead on his location. As soon as we can, we will try to create a diversion to allow us to get close to him and explain the situation."

Draco sighed, "We can only hope that it works. It's the only option, for Hermione's sake."

"I only have a few more moments. I borrowed this floo connection from a very powerful and private business owner that I was owed a favor from. As soon as we have more information, we will contact you through the coin."

Draco nodded and bid the man farewell. Stepping away from the fireplace, he collapsed into an armchair and placed his head into his hands. He sighed.

What would he do when they talked to Potter?

What if Potter didn't want to come back?

What if he didn't care about what happened to Hermione?

He sat in that armchair, puzzling over what he would say to Potter if he got a chance to say anything. He didn't want to tell Hermione yet. He didn't want to disappoint her. She had had too much in her life. She didn't need that too.

...

He went through the rest of his day in a haze. He went through client files in his office, examined Hermione, helped Bee with the shopping, but his mind was on the little coin in his pocket. Periodically, he put his hand in his pocket to feel for the coin, just to make sure he hadn't misplaced it. Even when he decided to try and get some rest for the night, he kept it clutched in his hand just in case.

He awoke with a start to a burning in his left hand. His mind cleared quickly, and he grabbed his wand. With a quick lumos, he read the coin.

Floo

He rushed the hall, glancing at the grandfather clock along the way. 2 o'clock in the morning.

As he opened the door to his office, he saw Blaise's face peering through the flames.

"We got a problem mate," said Blaise.

Draco was stunned. There it was. Potter didn't want to come. Potter didn't care. Fuck.

"Fuck. How the hell am I going to tell her Blaise."

Blaise looked at him with a tired expression on his face, "Ain't that mate. Something not as bad, but still fucking annoying."

Draco was puzzled, "What do you mean?"

Theo's head appeared next to Blaise's, "Looks like there is more than one phony Potter."

"What?" Draco was stunned.

Theo continued, "We followed what we thought was Potter to a little muggle hotel. We managed to corner him in one of the hallways."

Blaise jumped in, "Once we cornered him, I showed him my Auror identification and the guy freaked. Said Shacklebolt told him to be in Hong Kong but hadn't authorized the use of the potion for anything other than work related functions. The guy was using the polyjuice to get laid. Fucking laid mate. Fucking rotter. He also let loose that all the other 'Potters' have done the same thing, like that makes it fucking better," recalled Blaise.

"Wait, you said Potters. You mean there is more than the one here and the one there?"

Theo brushed a piece of invisible dust off his impeccable hair, "Yes. It seems the Ministry has spread them out. The fake Potters meet with foreign dignitaries and other people of importance in the wizarding world. It easier to keep multiples than to have one person. Everyone knows the effects of long-term polyjuice use is not very nice."

"Yeah, can make your dick fall off," whispered Blaise who grinned.

"Shacklebolt is mental. Who knows how many phony Potters are out there, " groaned Draco.

Blaise commiserated, "Drake, this is going harder than we thought."

Draco sank once again into the armchair, "Fuck."

There were multiple fake Potters. This changed everything.

Theo pushed a pair of reading glasses further up his nose, "Drake, it might be time to pursue other lines of inquiry."

"That is an option."

Draco knew what Theo meant. While they looked for Potter, he needed to look for who did this to Hermione. He had a thought to who did it, but he either had to get Hermione to talk to him, or he had to investigate on his own.

Draco sighed, "Now that you know there are multiple fakes, what are your plans?"

Blaise rubbed a hand over his eyes, "Fuck mate. We don't even know ourselves. Looks like we are going to have to check every lead that's left. We have a few left in Asia to check, then we have a few in America that seem promising."

Theo nodded, "Every lead may take a while now that we know about the fakes. We will have to follow each target to make sure they are in fact a fake or real Potter."

"Too bad there isn't a way to separate the fakes from the real one easily," said Blaise.

Draco grinned, "I suppose shouting Scarhead wouldn't do any good would it."

"Only if you want us to be blasted mate. I doubt anyone would want Scarhead shouted at them, real Potter or not," remarked Blaise chuckling.

Draco let out an exasperated sigh as he sat heavily onto the armchair behind him, "What if this is all in vain? I don't know what to do anymore."

"You might need to actually try to talk to her Draco," said Theo softly.

"Oh like thats easy Theo. 'Hey Hermione, mind telling me, a guy who bullied you in school, about your trauma?"

Blaise put his hand up to stop him, "Theo is right Drake. Thankfully nothing has come out in the Prophet. She lived her life low enough. I am curious as to why her boyfriend hasn't come out with anything."

Draco shook his head slowly, "You know what I think Blaise. But you might be right about talking to her. I just don't know how to go about it."

Theo pushes up his glasses and looked at him with a soft expression, "Are you sure you aren't scared that it'll bring up memories?"

"That's assuming that it already hasn't Theo."

Theo turned away from him, "I'm sorry Draco."

"It's fine Theo. I should go. You guys have a lot of leads and I better get started on my own."

Before either one of them could reply, Draco waved his hand wandlessly and nonverbally terminating the connection.

He rested his head in his hands. He felt the tears leak from his eyes. He tried to stop but he couldn't help himself from starting to sob.

Fuck Theo for bringing it up. He couldn't handle it when the memories surged forth. He didn't hear the small knock on the door and the soft voice that called out for him. He felt a warm hand on his shoulder and he turned towards the warmth. He cried into the woman's soft shirt until he could cry no more.

He was thankful she didn't ask.


	17. Repeat

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

**Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, suicide, and content of the sexual nature.

**A/N:** Hello everyone! I hope everyone had a nice week and long weekend for us Americans. This week's chapter is one to get the ball rolling a little, but next chapter...Oh boy. Let me give you a hint... a certain red headed git may have his own thoughts for us to read... As always thank you for your comments, follows, favorites, and shares. They mean so much to me! I really hope that Out of Darkness is one of those fics that people go, "Oh, have you read this one?" Isn't that what all fanfic writers want? That and maybe for our head canon to become a little more real. Until next time my loves! - DCP

**Chapter 17:** Repeat

It had been a few days since he had last spoken to Blaise and Theo. They had sent a few messages via the coin, but they had all said the same thing, 'Failed lead, onto next.' He hadn't expected immediate success, but he had kept a bit of hope that Blaise and Theo would find Potter fast. It was getting more and more difficult not to ask Hermione about what had happened that night he had found her in an alley outside the Ministry's Winter Ball.

He was thankful that she hadn't asked about what had happened between them the other night. When he had exhausted himself, he had felt the woman move away from him. He had felt cold from the loss of her. She return shortly afterwards with a cool cloth which he felt graze his face, washing away the remnants of tears. She pulled him up from the chair and escorted him to his room. A hand pulled away the comforter on the bed and push him underneath. He had closed his eyes, tired from the ordeal and embarrassed about the situation.

He heard a soft voice whisper, "Merry Christmas Draco."

He had forgotten about Christmas. He has too caught up in everything. How could he forget? But yet, a part of him didn't want to remember, he hadn't for a while. Christmas reminded him of his mother. He felt a single tear trace down his cheek, but then he felt a small warmth on his chest and a soft purr rumbling there. He opened his eyes to see the little kitten pressed against him, fast asleep. The kitten must have been sent by Hermione. Merlin knows the kitten didn't listen to anyone else. He was grateful, though, for the warmth and comfort the cat provided to him. Although his dreams were clouded with memories, the warm presence kept the worst of the memories away.

**........**

"Fuck."

Draco was glancing through the Daily Prophet in between clients when he saw it.

* * *

_The Breakup of the Beloved Golden Trio?_

_By Rita Skeeter_

_Hermione Jean Granger, also known as the brightest witch of the age, reportedly gave her resignation from the Ministry a few weeks ago. This, as my sources tell me, follows a break up with one Ronald Weasley. The famous auror reportedly ended the arrangement amicably, but Ms. Granger has not been contacted to support this. In fact, this reporter has deduced that Ms. Granger has taken an abroad vacation since her presence in Britain has been sorely missed since the Winter Ball at the Ministry. One might suspect Ms. Granger is more heartbroken than Mr. Weasley who has been seen with on a number of dates with Ms. Lavender Brown since the breakup. Will this bring an end to the famous Golden trio? Next week, this reporter will delve into the lives of the trio and talk to Mr. Potter on his thoughts of the breakup._

* * *

Of course that poisonous reporter had caught onto something. He was grateful for Hermione's sake that the reporter had said she was on vacation. That prick Weasley sure was living it up. The man was looking more and more suspicious as the time went on. Of course without Hermione's story, he couldn't be sure. Since he had last talked to Blaise and Theo, he had done some light investigation on Weasley. He had asked Bee if she wouldn't mind following the man. The elf had lit up and practically threw herself at the job. She had said "Anything for Misses Hermione," and had disapperated. The elf reported to him daily on the mans whereabouts and what he did. The routine was exactly the same as when Draco had first looked into Hermione's life. Although, it seemed Lavender Brown was a bigger fixture into his life. Weasley looked suspicious, but he had nothing on the man except a gut feeling.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by his secretary Elsa peeking into his office.

"Your noon appointment Doctor."

He sighed and pushed the newspaper off his desk and set out his new patient files. He had a mystery client this afternoon, which was nothing out of the ordinary. He had at least two or three a week. The door opened wider and Elsa ushered in a woman in a heavy black cloak. The hood of the cloak obscured the woman's face. He motioned for the woman to sit down and nodded at Elsa to leave.

"Hello Miss…"

The woman pushed the cloak off her face revealing blond hair, blue eyes, and a rather plain face, "Brown. Lavender Brown."

**......**

Draco sat mistified behind his desk. Brown had left a mere five minutes ago and he had instructed Elsa to leave him to finish his paperwork alone. Brown had come in for an abortion, while she didn't name the father of the child, he didn't have to do a through investigation.

Fucking Weasley.

But that wasn't what had him shocked. It was what had come to light during her visit. During his examination, he had came upon a series of dark bruises coloring her inside right thigh.

He did what he never did, he asked.

She had mumbled her answer, her face coloring. It was merely an accident she said, she had fallen down some stairs. Just a clumsy mistake. He didn't believe her. Not at all. He had heard his mother use that excuse time and time again. He knew it all too well. He pushed his magic up and wandlessly and nonverbally cast a seeing spell. It was a simple spell that looked past any glamours without disrupting them. He had learned it from Blaise who used it on numerous criminals he encountered in the field. His face nearly gave away his surprise when he saw the bruises lining her face and neck.

He knew that Brown had been Weasley's, for lack of a better word, dalliance for years. He remembered them snogging in the halls of Hogwart's when they thought people weren't looking. That red headed git was looking more and more guilty. He just needed Hermione to tell him. He needed confirmation. Something needed to happen to the man. He had left a woman for dead, beaten so severely that if he hadn't showed up….. He didn't want to think about it. The best option was to level charges against the man. Both Blaise and Theo agreed. He wasn't sure if Hermione would want to do that, but the man needed to serve time for what he had done, no, what he was doing. If he was correct the man had lost the main outlet for his violence and turned it to another.

What had happened to the man?

Weasley had been a git in school, sure, but to this extent?

To this level of madness?

No.

When Draco had done his share of growing up, he had realized that he had been a right little shit in school. He was a bully, a narcissist, and a downright arsehole. While he still had issues, he liked to think he was a better man. His experiences working in the Muggle hospital had truly helped his illusions of superiority. Everyone bled red, wizard or no. He had met countless of people that he had been horrible too and he had made amends. Potter, Weasley, and Hermione had been on his list, but they were the elusive golden trio. He couldn't get close to them. Not with the taint that still hung above his head. He rubbed the patch of skin on his left forearm. Even though the mark was gone, he swore he could feel the burning of the dark magic. Yet even with his past, it seemed while he had changed for the better, Weasley had not. There was only person who could shed light on this change.

It was time to ask.


	18. Unhinged

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

**Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, suicide, and content of the sexual nature.

**A/N:** Happy Monday! Here it is. The chapter some of you may have been waiting for. We get to hear from our little red headed friend. Once again, this is an intense chapter. I didn't plan on having a chapter from Ron's POV, but I started writing and I couldn't stop. I needed to show his mindset and what he has become. It can't all be from one side. I hope everyone enjoys the chapter. The next few chapters are critical! As always thank you for your amazing reviews (they make me a tad emotional sometimes), your follows, and your shares. Until Next Week! Love Always- DCP

**Chapter 18:** Unhinged

Ronald Weasley rubbed the red scruff on his jaw and sighed. He was restless. Sloppy. Bored.

He pushed himself out of bed and looked around. He missed her. She has been gone for weeks, months.

Was she dead?

He didn't know. He didn't think so since she has sent letters of her resignation to her department at the Ministry. When people had come with questions, he played the part of the neutral ex boyfriend. Of course they parted on good terms, no he didn't know where she was, yes she mentioned she was going on vacation, yes Harry supported them both. When he told that last lie, he always struggled not to laugh.

Of course the fucking twat supported them both, it wasn't the real Harry. The real Harry had left him high and dry. They had had plans. They were going to both be Aurors. They decided that in school. But no. Harry had cracked. Fucking left him in that piece of shit department. Without the famous 'Chosen One', he had been buried under the fucking other pricks in the department, especially that Zabini bastard. People worshiped that piece of Slytherin trash. Both of them had gone into the program at the same time, but every time it came to promotions and recognitions, it was Zabini not him.

Never him.

He clenched his fists thinking about it. How the fuck could that bitch do this to him? She was his. Only his. She should have come crawling back to him. He would have gotten her from the alley, eventually. She needed to learn. She embarrassed him. She not only trodden on his perfectly shined boots, but she had the nerve to look like shite. He had even bathed her and helped her with her hair. But no, she looked like an ugly piece of Mudblood trash.

No wonder he had to turn to Lavender to be pleasured. Hermione was lucky that he fucked her. He needed to find that little bitch.

She was his. His little kitten. His good little kitten.

His.

His.

His.

He closed his eyes. He imagined squeezing her little neck and making her beg him to stop. He loved hearing her beg. She had gotten so good at begging. He could feel his cock twitching at the thought. He needed some release.

Lavender had been avoiding him. He had gone without for too long. He felt the need rise in him. The anger, hate, and pleasure rose to the surface as he thought about his need. Yes. He needed it right now. He opened his eyes and apparated to Lavender's little flat.

"Oh Lavender. Come here you good little girl."

He watched at the woman exited her bedroom and slunk towards him.

"Yes Ron," she said meekly.

"I think you've been a little naughty," and then he descended.

Before the world faded into a red tinged pleasured haze, he could hear a sweet delicious scream that sounded so much like his little kitten.

* * *

**.......**

He giggled.

Oh fuck.

He has gone a little too far this time.

Whoops.

He giggled again. He was high on it. He had never felt this much pleasure. Oh it felt good. But, alas, he needed to clean up his little...mess. He went through the house and erased the traces of himself. He moved towards the living room and grabbed the kitchen knife on the floor. He cleaned it with his wand and placed it back in its place. He didn't remove all of his traces of course, they were known to go around together. Didn't want things to be too clean, it would be suspicious. Oh he was lucky that he knew how to clean up after himself. Being an auror did have its perks.

He moved back into the living room and stepped over the body. Sigh, look at what she had made him do. His little kitten. She should have come back. He cut a few blond strands from her head with his wand and dipped them in the blood that was gathering underneath the body. Ha.

This would show her. He laughed even louder. She would come back. He would make her come back. Little bitch would beg to come back. No one could protect her. Harry was gone. She had no other friends. He had made sure of that. She would come crawling out of whatever hole she had disappeared into. He looked over the house once more and apparated back to his flat.

He quickly penned a letter and sent it with his owl. He set out to a pub he frequented. He needed an alibi. He would make sure people would see him with his mates at all times for the next few days. Thankfully this was not unusual for him. She would come back to him by the time they found her. He would have her back. He pushed the door open to the pub and called out to a friend. She would come back and he would be waiting.

* * *

**.......**

Hermione was startled out her sleep by a knocking at the window. A plain brown owl was tapping at the window by her bedside table. Maybe it was a letter from Draco. Letters sometimes came during the day while he was at the clinic. Perhaps he needed to go on an emergency call. He had told her that sometimes, though rare, he was called for emergencies if other healers couldn't remedy certain female situations. She blearily cracked the window open and let the bird in.

The sooner she got the letter, the sooner she could go back to sleep. Once the owl dropped the letter on her lap and exited out the window, she examined the plain letter. Written in block letters was her name. Huh. She didn't recognize the writing. No one had written her in years. She broke open the simple wax seal, glanced over the contents.

She screamed.

* * *

**.......**

Draco awoke as he heard Hermione screamed. He didn't even bother to throw a dressing gown over his boxers and t shirt as he rushed to the woman's room.

He pushed open the door, "Hermione!? Are you okay!?"

Hermione was shaking on the bed holding a letter. He rushed to her side just as she turned and threw up over the side of the red. Pushing her hair out of her face, he searched for the letter she had dropped. Still holding the woman's hair, he unfolded the letter with his free hands.

In blood red ink it read, 'Come back my little kitten. I miss you.' Stuck to bottom of the letter with a little bit of spellotape were a few strands of hair.

They looked red, no…. blonde...but… Oh fuck.

Fuck.

What the fuck.

Merlin.

Is that what he thought it was?

Blood?

Another round of heaving pushed him from his thoughts. He quickly magiced away the mess and held the woman around her shoulders. Heaves turned into sobs, sobs turned into hiccups, and finally the woman had quieted. He knew it was time. This was starting to get dangerous for her to have secrets.

"Hermione, I think it's time for you to tell me what happened to you," he said softly.

She inhaled sharply and pushed the breathe out slowly. She nodded.

"I think it's best to start three years ago. Three years ago was the last time I really saw Ron Weasley."


	19. Confession

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

**Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, suicide, and content of the sexual nature.

**A/N** : Sorry for a bit of a late upload tonight. It has been a WEEK. I got married Thursday so I've been celebrating :) Wow! What a chapter last week wasn't it. I hope you are ready for this one... Thank you for all your reviews on Chapter 18. It was amazing to see how you guys reacted to Ron's chapter. The next few chapters are going to be interesting since we have someone stepping up to the plate. Get your reading glasses ready! As always please review, follow, favorite, and of course share. I'll see you next Monday! Love Always! - DCP

**Chapter 19:** Confession

She was rattled. More than rattled really. She was terrified.

He had sent her a letter. She couldn't help but break down. Draco's warm embrace had help ease the sense of helplessness from her bones. She had gotten too comfortable. He knew she was alive.

Merlin. He could find her. That thought brought on a new wave of tears. She couldn't go back. She just couldn't. She had suffered. She was beginning to be happy again. While Draco was at his clinic, she played with Kiri or read from his extensive library.

She was beginning to look over his introductory healer texts. She had thought about becoming a healer at one point. Well before… him. Her body was healing, albeit slowly, but it was. She had put on a little bit of weight and her face and hair were beginning to get some of the old life back into them. She was taken care of so well here.

She barely noticed him

"Hermione, I think it's time for you to tell me what happened to you," he said softly.

She felt her stomach drop. Yes. She supposed it was time. She owed him that. She just didn't want him to think less of her. She was weak and she knew it. She tried to bring the old Hermione back. She needed that strength for coming conversation.

Inhale.

Exhale.

"I think it's best to start three years ago. Three years ago was the last time I really saw Ron Weasley."

Draco shifted. They were no longer holding each other but their knees were still touching as they sat facing each other on the bed. Before she could continue, Bee popped into the room with a tray of tea . The little elf patted her hand and pushed a cup of tea in her hand. Hermione took a sip and sighed. Bee always knew how she liked her tea, just a little bit of lemon and honey. She noticed the elf had pushed a similar cup of tea into Draco's hands while she fussed over his eating habits. The little elf gathered up the tray and popped back out the room.

Draco chuckled, "She always shows up at the best of the times. It's like she knows."

Hermione gave a half-hearted nod. She loved the little elf deeply. Her gentle hands had wiped Hermione's tears away and her words had prodded her to eat. Bee had reminded her of her mother in a way. Her heart clenched just thinking of her parents. Oh how she missed them. Draco waited patiently while she sipped her tea as she gathered her thoughts.

"After the Battle at Hogwarts things really changed. While Voldemort was defeated, the demons of the war were still there. We were still being hunted by renegade Death Eaters, but the demons in Harry and Ron were waging a war within themselves. Harry cracked. He just wasn't the same. Harry lost something I think. He told me that when he was in King's Crossing with Dumbledore, it just changed it. So, I understood when he was talking about going away, but Ron? Ron didn't. He blamed Harry for everything after that you see. Every missed promotion, every lost opportunity, everything was Harry's fault. I tried to tell Ron that it wasn't Harry's fault, but he just wouldn't listen. "

Draco nodded, "When did it happen, when did he start...um...the violence?"

She could tell he was having a hard time asking about it. She didn't blame him.

She steadied herself and closed her eyes, "It started small really. A few heated arguments in the first year that ended in a slap or a punch. I always pushed it off. It was just normal things, the effects of the war you know. He was drunk or he was just frustrated with work. I should be able to understand that. Surely. I could see the real him you know. He was still Ron. He was still the man who loved me dearly. But as time went on. He got worse. The last year he just...wasn't Ron anymore. I don't know who he is."

She couldn't help the tears that were escaping her eyes and the quivering of her voice. She felt his warm hand wiping the tears off her face.

"I'm so sorry Hermione. You didn't deserve any of that."

"I was weak Draco. I should have left. Found someone, anyone. It's just I felt like I had no one but him. My parents are dead, Harry is gone, my old friends don't even want to talk to him. I had no one."

Draco patted her knee, "Hermione, you are not weak. You are strong. You see the good in everyone. Like you did in me all those years ago. I haven't forgotten you know."

He knew just what to say to her. Once again she was grateful for him.

"Hermione, I need to know. That day at my office, was it him? That night, was it him?"

She nodded, "Yes it was him. I had to end it. I knew the life most likely wouldn't last the full pregnancy and if it did, I didn't want to bring a child into that world. The night of the ball, I accidentally tread on his shoe. I was just so tired. I couldn't heal from the procedure. I was so tired. And then….and then he took me to the alley. And….well you know the rest."

She glanced at his face. Gone was the soft look. His face was steely and sharp. He was focused on something in the distance with a determine gaze. After a few moments he broke his stare and gazed back at her. The softness returned to his face.

"Hermione I want to make this right. May I?"

Her mind was dissolving into hysterics But how Draco? You read the letter. He is going to come for me. You saw the hair. Oh Merlin. What am I going to do. What if he gets me again? Draco I can't. I can't go back. Fuck. Don't make me. Please Merlin. I can't. I can't. I can't. I can't let Draco see I can't.

She knew she was staring into space. She just couldn't break herself out of her mind. Draco, seeing her distress,once again gathered her into his arms.

"Hermione it's okay. Calm down. You are a strong, strong woman. I won't let him get you again," he said softly.

She felt him press his face into the top of her head. She don't know how long she lay there in his arms. She pushed off of him.

"What are we going to do Draco? We need to help whoever that hair belongs to. He can't go on. We really can't let him go on. "

He stared at her, seeming to puzzle over something.

"I'm looking for something currently. After that has been found, I have a course of action I'd like to pursue, but until then let's focus on fully healing your body. You've gone through a lot Hermione."

She nodded her head.

"You're right Draco. Thank you. For everything. You've been immensely hospitable and have taken care of me so well. I don't know how I can thank you. You've given me back my life. I feel like I have a bit of old Hermione back."

She was overwhelmed with gratitude towards the man and something else she couldn't name. Feeling bold, but unsure of herself, not quite over her experiences but still sure of this, she leaned forward and placed a small kiss on his cheek. Draco looked shocked and placed a hand on his cheek but before he could say anything the door to the room burst open. A man with long shaggy hair and bright eyes hidden beneath glasses ran through the open door.

"Hermione!"

She was stunned, surprised, happy, sad. She wanted to scream and cry and run to him all at the same time.

"...Harry?"


	20. Lost

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

**Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, suicide, and content of the sexual nature.

**A/N:** Happy Monday once again! Thank you soooo soooo much for all your amazing messages. They really keep me so inspired to write even more amazing chapters for you! This chapter was another one that I didn't blame on, but on a long road trip I got inspired. Specifically I had a song that really set the mood for the chapter. I've recently been obsessed with Billie Eilish. Her song "lovely" with Khalid really has the depth of emotion that I feel that a lot of characters are going through. This chapter especially is about a man who had his life set for him since birth. As always review, like, favorite, share, and rave :) They really mean a lot to me. Until next Monday, -DCP

* * *

_But I know someday I'll make it out of here_  
_Even if it takes all night or a hundred years_  
_Need a place to hide, but I can't find one near_  
_Wanna feel alive, outside I can't fight my fear_

_\- "Lovely" Billie Eilish and Khalid_

* * *

**Chapter 20:** Lost

It had been nearly three years since he had left the Wizarding World behind him.

The war had never truly had left him.

He pushed his hair out of his eyes and gazed at his reflection in the small mirror. Bright green eyes were hidden behind heavy black rimmed glasses. A black beard covered his jaw obscuring the lower half of his face. He doubted many people could recognize him now.

He turned away from the mirror and surveyed the tiny little flat. The small space was devoid of decoration except for a small world map taped to the wall. Small marks littered the map. He had been nearly everywhere. He was searching for something.

For himself?

For Freedom?

He still wasn't sure.

He had lost a part of himself when the Battle of Hogwarts had ended. Kingsley had tried to get him to be so many things. 'Be an auror!' he said. 'Be this. Do this. Go here. Go there. Be here.' It was too much. His life had been laid out for him. By everyone. By Voldemort, by the Dursleys, by Dumbledore, even by fate itself.

After all those years of having his life not be his own, he was free. He was finally free. No one could tell him what to do. It was uncomfortable, sure, but he wasn't ready to give up his new found freedom to Kingsley to have him start the cycle over again. He couldn't even talk to Ginny after everything. He couldn't even touch her.

It felt….wrong.

When he told her that he wanted to go away for a while, she left. She told him that she couldn't do it anymore. He wasn't the man she used to know. No one really understood. Ron had flipped a lid when he told him he couldn't handle being an auror. He just wanted to leave for a while. Ron had said he wasn't a good friend, that he was betraying their friendship. 'Mione somewhat understood. She was the only one. She had held him in her arms and told him to come back soon.

He had felt guilty for leaving her. She was the only one he had felt guilt for. He had thought about writing her a few times through the years, but he didn't know what to say.

'Oh hey 'Mione. It's me. Harry. The bad friend who left.'

No doubt she was doing well. She always did. She had mentioned maybe being a healer before he left. She was probably already graduated, no doubt at the top of her class.

He missed her.

He glanced at his watch. A sigh escaped his lips. He didn't have too long before the shops closed and he needed to pick up some shopping for the week. He grabbed a black baseball cap and settled it over his long hair. Seattle had a habit of raining at the most inconvenient times and he rather not look more like a creep than his disguise already made him look. Closing his door and locking it, he made his way down the street to a little corner store.

America was one of the last places he hadn't been. He liked it here. So many places were empty. Devoid of anyone except for animals. He particularly like the mountain areas which was why he had chosen to come to Seattle. He could just go to the nearby mountains and think. No one bothered him.

He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't noticed two dark figures tailing him. They were getting closer and closer. As he was passing a small alley, the figures reached out and pushed him in the alley.

Harry gasped and plunged his hand into his pocket fingering the length of wood there. One of dark figures spoke quietly and he felt a warmth flaring over his body. So he was dealing with wizards.

Fuck.

No doubt they were dark wizards.

Fuck.

He had hidden from everyone. Well so he thought. He braced himself for whatever they had in store for him. The other figured spoke, this time loud enough for him to hear.

"Looks like this is the real one."

Harry started to pull out the wand he had a grip on.

"It's okay Potter. We aren't going to hurt you. We just need to talk to you," the taller of the two said.

Whipping out his wand, Harry fired our a spell in the dark. The stunner missed the men by an inch. He was out of practice.

"Who the fuck are you? Show yourself!" Harry stammered out.

He wasn't used to talking anymore.

"Oh fuck. Yeah. Here. _Lumos._ "

The tip of wand flared and two men came into focus. They both looked familiar.

Wait.

He squinted.

"Blaise Zabini and Theo Nott? Right?"

Theo nodded his head, "Correct."

"What do you want? Aren't you an auror Zabini? I'm not going back to Shacklebolt. He knows that. I don't want anything to do with him."

"This has nothing to do with that. We aren't here on Shacklebolt's wishes. We have been looking for you for Draco."

Harry sneered,"What the fuck does that prick want with me?"

Blaise bristled,"Hey watch it. That prick saved your supposed best friend's life."

"Oh fuck off. I'm not falling for your Slytherin games."

Theo inched closer to the panicked man.

"Things have changed Potter. Please listen to us. It's urgent."

Harry pondered this for a minute. This was two Slytherins who are looking for him supposedly for another Slytherin. Not just any Slytherin but the King Snake himself. This was his freedom that was at stake. He would play along until the two men showed their true intentions.

"What do you mean saved my best friends life. Who? What happened?"

Blaise stepped forward, "Hermione got really hurt Potter."

Theo immediately spat out, "She's okay. But you guys need to talk."

Harry panicked. What if they were telling the truth? 'Mione was the only one who stuck up for him. He didn't want to fall into their trap but it's his best friend. His anxiety roared to life.

"Oh fuck. It's Hermione? Where is she? WHERE IS SHE?!"

"Calm down mate. She's staying at Draco's flat," Blaise grabbed his shoulders and shook him gently.

Harry grabbed his wand even tighter. They hadn't take his wand away yet. Maybe...maybe they were telling the truth. He knew he could take them out if need be. They both didn't have their wand out.

"Take me to her. "

Nodding his head, Theo grabbed a wrapped object out his inner jacket, "We have an international portkey. Not exactly legal, but no need to mention that to anyone. It'll take us right to the flat."

Theo unwrapped the object, "Blaise, Potter grab on."

Harry grabbed onto the man's arm and Blaise did the same. He immediately felt his insides wrench and spiral through the air. A few seconds later he saw a wooden floor speeding towards him. He braced himself for impact. He barely looked around the spacious flat before he turned to Blaise.

"Where is she?"

The man pointed down a hallway, "Second door on the left."

Not even taking time to thank him, he ran down the hall and pushed open the door. His eyes immediately found his friend. It was really her. They hadn't lied to him. She was thin. Really thin. Her face was terribly pale but still her face was full of warmth. Her hair was different. It used to be light brown and full of life. It was darker and more wavy from the weight of it. She looked as though she had been crying. What had happened to her? Her brown eyes had found his.

"...Harry?"

His eyes slipped over hers and found the form of the other person in the room.

Fucking Malfoy.

He flung himself over to the man, "You fucking prick. What did you do to her? Why the fuck is she here?"

His fists moved without thought.

"Harry please! Stop! He didn't do anything! Please!"

Four hands pulled him off Malfoy and restrained him.

"Calm down Potter. Draco didn't do anything to her. Calm down mate."

He saw Hermione help the man off the floor. She looked over Malfoy with a worried look on her face. Just like she used to do when he or Ron got hurt. She used one of her sleeves to wipe at some blood on Malfoy's face wishing she had her wand to fix the injures on his face. She turned and glared at him.

"Harry James Potter. He saved my life."

With that she stalked out of the room. Suddenly feeling weak he felt himself collapse to the floor.

Malfoy looks down at him and offered him a hand, "I know things are a little strange, but everything will be explained. It is just not my story to tell."

He eyed the hand and grasped it.

"I'm sorry. I just..I...um."

"I was a prick, a death eater, and an all around arsehole. I know. I am truly sorry for my behavior in school to you. I don't blame you for your reaction. I imagine I would have done the same."

At that, Hermione entered the room again with what looked like iced wrapped in a cloth. She handed it to Malfoy. He looked her over again. She looked so frail.

"What happened 'Mione. Are you okay?"

She looked back at him. He saw tears glimmering in her eyes.

"Would you all mind if I had some time with Harry?"

The men nodded and filed out of the room shutting the door behind them. She grabbed his hand and led him to the bed. She gestured to him to sit and she sat crossing her legs and looking down.

Her long hair obscured her face as she started to speak, "Oh Harry. I don't know where to start. I suppose I need to start from the beginning. About three years ago, after you left, Ron started to turn into someone I didn't recognize."

"What do you mean Mione?"

She lifted her head. "Ron hurt me Harry. He hurt me really bad and I think he hurt some else too."


	21. Anger

****

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

**Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, suicide, and content of the sexual nature.

**A/N:** Happy Monday and President's Day! Another week and another chapter. Oh boy, we knew this chapter was coming. It is a pretty tame chapter overall, but it is a much needed chapter. I've been going through my timeline of events and I really hope I can fit everything into 40 chapters like I planned. We are almost at 40K words which might even be longer than my masters thesis. As always thank you for your amazing reviews, follows, subscribes, and shares. I'm already thinking about my next fic and I am toying with a sherlock holmes and watson kinda deal with Dramione. What do you think? May not go as dark as this pic, or maybe I'll go even DARKER! As always, Until Next Monday! - DCP

**Chapter 21:** Anger

Harry didn't look like himself. His hair was long, his skin was tan, a beard covered his face, and his usual glasses were gone and replaced with thick black frames. But she knew it was him.

The real him.

No polyjuice could recreate his expressive eyes. Sure the other Harry's had bright green eyes but they were devoid of the life that Harry's had. Oh she has missed him. Of course she understood that he had to leave, for him, but….. a bit of her wanted to hate him.

She tried to shake that feeling out of her but it didn't want to leave. A part of her wondered if he hasn't left, would things have been different?

Would Ron be the same?

Her heart clenched. She was blaming Harry a bit.

How could she do that?

But he had left her with a madman.

But how could he have known?

Her mind was so conflicted. The rational side of her knew that she couldn't blame him. The blame was fully on Ron. The irrational side of her wanted to blame Harry, herself, everyone. Everyone except Draco.

She had been so irate when Harry blamed him and immediately used his fists on the man. Draco had saved her. She supposed that in his situation he saw his best friend who no doubt looked a fright with one of his mortal enemies. But still, men always resorted to fists first. Well, some men.

Her brain felt heavy, Merlin, her everything felt heavy. She knew that she one day she would have to explain everything to Harry but she hadn't thought it would be so soon. Once, before all of this, they had been the ultimate group of best friends. They had been the golden trio. No matter what had happened between the two men, you don't forget that.

Having to process what a man who had been your best friend since you were 11 had done was no doubt going to be an unpleasant experience. She didn't know how Harry was going to react.

Was he going to believe her?

It sounded crazy. Her whole story sounded crazy, she knew it did. A man who had been so loving, that had put himself between his friends and danger more times than she could count before Voldemort's death. How would she tell him? How could she say it? She stared into the eyes of her best friend. After her brief mention of what Ron had done, his eyes were full of confusion.

"What do you mean Mione? What do you mean he hurt you? I know you guys had a fight here and there. I figured you would have left him by now. Always figured you would end up with an intellectual type."

She dropped her head again. She let the long curtain of hair cover her face. She couldn't let him see the shame so clearly written on her face.

"No Harry. I never left him. I...I couldn't. Or I should say he wouldn't let me."

"Wouldn't let you? Mione…. did he…. did he hit you Mione?"

At that she allowed her head to raise and looked him in the eyes.

With tears threatening to fall she spoke quietly, "Oh yes Harry. He isn't Ron anymore."

She proceeded to lay out the last three years for him. She did not tell him the more...unsavory details of the events, but she insinuated the horror she had went through. He needed to know. Harry could be unbelievably perceptive when it came to his friends, he would know if she tried to lie about what transpired.

As she told him the story, his mouth hardened into a sharp line, his fists clenching until the skin around his knuckles was bone white. As she spoke about the night of the ministry ball, his face turned red. She ended the story at Draco's rescue of her and grew silent.

Harry seeming to sense the end of her story got up and started to pace the room. He was muttering under his breath. She caught the words 'fuck', 'prick', 'unbelievable', and 'Malfoy'. He reared back and punched the wall hard.

The noise scared her and instinctually cowered. She couldn't help but remember when Ron used to do the same thing. But, this was Harry. He wouldn't hurt her.

He dropped his head on the wall with a loud thunk near the newly formed hole. Gingerly she walked towards him, and placed a careful hand on his arm. At her touch, he shifted his gaze to her. She didn't expect to see tears rolling down his face.

"Oh Mione. I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry. What have I done? I should have never left. This would have never happened."

She blanched at his words. How could she have ever thought to blame him? How could she do that to him? She didn't know what to do. Didn't know what to say. With tears still streaming down his face, Harry wrapped his arms around her. It still was hard to allow men to touch her. But she relaxed. It was Harry. She hugged him back tight.

"Never blame yourself Harry. It wasn't you. It was never you."

She could feel a growing wetness forming on her shoulder from his eyes.

"I was so selfish. I never realized what would happen to my friends. While Ron and I weren't on the best of terms, I should have been more concerned what happened to him. Maybe if I had stayed with him he wouldn't have ended up the way he did. I could have stopped it. I could have done something. Fuck."

She pushed him away a little to look into his face. He looked terrible. His green eyes were bloodshot making them look even more vibrant than usual. She look him over carefully and wiped the tears that threatened to dampen his beard even more than it already was.

"Harry, even if you had stayed...things wouldn't have been different."

"But…"

"No Harry. It wouldn't have been different. He distanced me from everyone. I see that now. He controlled me in every way. I was lost either way."

He hung his head and shook it.

"But what do we do 'Mione? I need to fix this. No matter what you say, I feel responsible in some way. I left and forgot about my best friend. I'll do anything to atone for what I did."

Hermione opened her mouth and promptly shut it. What did they do now? The note had been placed out of her mind since the arrival of Harry. How did she tell him this? He was already feeling the guilt of one thing. Did he need another thing to feel bad about? She knew his emotional state probably wasn't the most stable.

A quick knock and subsequent opening of the door popped her out of her thoughts. Harry looked up and focused on the doorway. Hermione turned and saw Draco leaning against the doorframe with Blaise and Theo shadowed behind him. Harry stepped forward and held out his hand.

"I want to thank you Malfoy. I thought the worst of you and your friends. I...I can't thank you enough for what you've done."

Draco pushed off the doorframe and took Harry's hand into a handshake.

"I know we aren't friends Potter, but I respect you and I hope you will come to feel the same. Now I assume Hermione has told you what has happened?"

Harry nodded his head, "Fucking bastard. I want to kill him. He isn't the Ron I knew."

Letting go of Harry's hand, Draco walked toward the bed and picked up the letter from the nightstand.

"Read this."

Harry took the paper from Draco's outstretched hand. As he read, his face turned white.

"Is that...is that?"

"Blood? Yes I'm afraid so. I have some thoughts on who the hair could belong to but there is no certainty. In fact I was speaking with Blaise who is going to check up on the person I think it belongs to."

At that, Blaise tipped his gray baseball cap and left the doorway.

"Malfoy I want to get even for this. What can I do?"

Theo stepped forward and fixed his glasses, "We build a case against him. We get justice. Of course, if that's what Ms. Granger would like to do. And please excuse me Ms. Granger for not introducing myself and Blaise formally. We did not want to hamper your recovery process and we thought best that our efforts were better placed in finding Mr. Potter. Of course, Draco, for your confidentiality, only gave myself and Blaise necessary information to help us find Mr. Potter."

Draco nodded his head and glanced at Hermione, "I'm sorry I kept this from your Hermione. I didn't want to give you false hope nor hinder your recovery. I betrayed your confidence, but I thought it was in your best interest as a healer. I hope you can forgive this transgression."

She nodded her head. Of course she forgave him, he brought Harry back into her life.

"I can't thank you enough, for everything you've done."

Turning to Theo she drew herself up and pushed her chest out a bit. She felt the energy of her old self rise to the surface as she gathered her courage.

She looked Theo in the eye and proclaimed boldly, "I want him punished. Let's build a case and put him away."

And at that, all the men in the room smiled at the woman who was slowly becoming the woman she had lost three years ago.


	22. Crimson

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

**Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, suicide, and content of the sexual nature.

**A/N:** Ahhh another Monday and another chapter. This is another chapter that isn't from Draco and Hermione's perspective. I hadn't planned on chapters like these, but my hands just wanted to write them. They just give another layer to the story that I don't think I could achieve through just two people's perspectives. In other news, I have a couple fun little things planned for the next month in the fanfic world so look out for those! I do have a question for my readers, are you still enjoying Out of Darkness? I have the worry that I'm drawing it out too far, or I'm not adding enough suspense, or not enough romance. I suppose every writer worries about such things. As always thank you for the reviews, follows, and shares. And a shoutout to my wonderful beta Steph who sat with me on facetime for over 10 hours just talking, watching movies, and giving me ideas for upcoming fics. As always, Until Next Monday! - DCP

**Chapter 22** : Crimson

At Granger's words, Draco shut the door to the bedroom. The man looked weary, yet determination shone on his face. It was nice to see him so alive.

He had been more alive since having the woman to take care of. He smiled more, he laughed more, and he just cared more. He had grown so much, but Granger seemed to put all the pieces together for him. Granger had done so many things for him. Perhaps having her there was a way to atone for the things his mother had to go through. Things that he hadn't been able to solve.

The memories of those countless nights where he had to hold his best friend in his arms while the man fell apart flared in Blaise's mind. It had been hard for the man. He tried to drown himself in liquor and sorrow, but both himself and Theo hadn't let him. They took bottles of expensive firewhiskey from his grasps and replaced them with sobering draughts. Blaise was grateful that they were in the wizarding world. He knew what the Muggle world had to offer in terms of drugs and alcohol. By the time Draco had gone into the Muggle world, he had gone past the grief stage of his journey. But Blaise and Theo didn't judge what Draco had done.

The two men had understood what Draco had been going through. Theo had a terribly abusive father, and himself...well safe to say he had mommy issues. They had all been affected by the war. Draco in more ways than one. The man had risen from the ashes and changed, for the better. They all did. People however, were not inclined to think positively of them. Well look at how it had turned out.

Draco motioned for the two men to follow him to the study. They all sunk into the armchairs around the fire and just breathed.

Himself and Theo were exhausted.

They had been going through lead after lead after lead. They hadn't been expecting much from the leads in America, but they got lucky. An American wizard had bragged to his mates that he had seen the famous Harry Potter walking around Seattle.

Lucky for Blaise, he had quite a few contacts in the Pacific Northwest that fed him the information as soon as it reached their ears. He looked over to Draco and saw his friend with a pensive expression clouding his face.

He reached out and placed a hand on the man's shoulder, "You did it mate. You got him back for her."

Draco shifted and look towards him, "No. You and Theo did which you didn't have to do. I am grateful that you did."

Theo turned towards him, "I would have done whatever was needed. You know how I feel about men hitting women."

They all knew how he felt. Theo's mother had died under the hand of his father. Theo would have too if not for the need of a male heir to carry on the Nott name. Theo's father knew his had spared the heaviest of blows on his child. Countless women weren't so lucky. Theo would tell them about the cleanup crew that his father employed. No questions asked. Blaise remembered one summer night in fifth year when Theo had stepped through the Malfoy manor fireplace where he and Drake had been staying. He had been covered in blood. His father had gone on a rampage with his newest plaything. Apparently his father has thought killing the women in front of Theo would straighten him out.

"What do we do next Drake?"asked Blaise.

Draco puzzled for a moment before mumbling, "Oh Merlin. I don't even know Blaise. Before you showed up, we already came upon another problem."

Flustered, Theo tore off his glasses and began furiously polishing, "Problem?"

Draco inhaled sharply and began his tale of the note that Granger received.

Blaise felt his face lose color and his voice quivered, "Blood? Are you sure? And the hair was blonde?"

Oh fuck. What if it was…. Oh fuck. He hadn't seen her in weeks.

Oh fuck.

Anything but her.

They had just found each other.

Draco sighed, "Indeed it is blood. And I have a feeling that the blond strand was that of Lavender Brown. Unfortunately, I saw her not too long ago in my office for complaints. She was heavily bruised under some glamors. Of course I cannot be entirely sure of the cause of the bruises, but they do raise suspicions even higher than they already are."

At Draco's words, he felt the warmth flood back into his face. It wasn't her. But, he needed to make sure she was safe. Just in case Draco's instincts were wrong.

"Blaise."

He perked up at Draco's voice, "Yes?"

"Is there anyway to use your authority as an Auror to conduct a check on her?"

"Hmm. I suppose if I got an anonymous tip about some sort of disturbance, it is in my power to check it out."

Draco nodded, "Could you go soon? I know you must be exhausted, but I'm afraid time is of the essence."

"I can go now," he exclaimed.

This would give him an excuse to stop by and check up on her while he went to Brown's flat. He unfortunately knew where it was due to a very drunk mistake a few years ago.

A loud bang interrupted his thoughts and the three men jumped to their feet. They all headed back to the bedroom where the noise seemed to originate. Blaise reached towards the door, but Draco stopped him motioning to his ears. He listened carefully to soft sobs and waited. As they quieted, he heard soft murmurs of conversations and then silence.

Draco knocked gently and opened the door to the two inhabitants.

Fuck Potter looked rough.

Granger did too. He didn't imagine it was a walk down Diagon Alley telling your best friend about a horrific experience. He tuned out the majority of the conversations, his thoughts focused on a specific blonde. His mind snapped forward as he heard Draco mention his name, and he tipped his hat to the four, walked away, and swiftly apparated to Diagon Alley.

He walked swiftly to the shop where his little blonde spent most of her days and he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the form of her tittering around with her animals. He would come see her later, he knew his main task could not wait.

He exited the Leaky Cauldron and made his way into main London. A quick ten minute walk and he was there. Brown lived in a modern wizard apartment that had all the amenities a wizard could want and free access to the Muggle world. If he remembered correctly, she lived on the third floor. He zipped up the stairs and found the door plate that said 302.

He knocked authoritatively on the door and barked a quick, "Open up. This is Blaise Zabini, Senior Auror conducting a disturbance check."

No one replied. He waited for a few more minutes and did his routine again.

"As no one has answered, I am using my authority as an Auror and Wizarding Law 352-25A to search the premises."

He tapped his wand on the doorknob and heard a resounding click. As soon as he opened the door, the smell hit him. He knew that smell, and he knew it well. The flat was dark and musty. The little gaps in the blinds showed dust swirling around in the little beams of sun. He checked the small bedroom and loo to the side and while quite messy, nothing seemed amiss. He walked towards what looked like a living room and the smell sharpened. This room was dark as well.

His eyes had adjusted to the dimness of the room, and then he saw it. It looked like a lump in the middle of the floor, but his gut told him it was anything but a lump. He lit the tip of his wand, and immediately jumped back at the scene before him.

There was blood everywhere. It had stained the room crimson. Quickly he sent his patronus galloping out. He sprang to action and waved his wand over the witch looking for a pulse. 'Come on, Come on, Come on' he muttered in his mind. There it was! A small blip of life in the girl.

Cracks of apparation sounded around him as healers and Aurors jumped to action. He looked back to the girl that was being magically lifted by a team of healers and he sighed in relief. He had gotten there just in time he heard them say.

Just in time.

**.....**

A galloping patronus pushed its way through London. Speeding through streets with a goal. Bursting through a wall, it stood in front of a group of four and shook out its black mane.

In Blaise's voice it spoke three words, "You were right."


	23. Another

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

**Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, suicide, and content of the sexual nature.

**A/N:** Is it truly Monday until I have brewed my coffee, sat back in bed, and then frantically read through my chapter for the week to make sure its perfect? Nope. Thank you for everyone who left a review answering my question. It feels amazing that people are still here and reading. When I first proposed this idea to my bff Steph while we were working together at a coffee shop, I never thought I would actually write it and keep writing it. And now here I am, planning my next fic! Oh and just a little teaser, I may be writing a little fluffy piece for a fanfic fest. Who knew I could write about fluffy things instead of dark and depressing stuff. As always thank you for the amazing reviews, follows, and shares. Until next Monday! - DCP

**Chapter 23** : Another

"You were right? Oh Merlin. You were right. That means there is another woman doesn't it Draco?" asked Hermione.

Draco stole a glance at her then looked down at his feet, "I'm afraid so Hermione. I...She...She came to my office for the same thing you did and I noticed the same markers on her that I did on you."

A shadow of sadness and pain passed over Hermione's face, "Its Lavender isn't it?"

Draco nodded softly and kept his gaze the ground, "I should have said something to her. I should have stopped her, but...I just…."

Hermione stepped forward and touched Draco on the arm gently, "I don't think there was anything you could have done Draco. I know the healer code in the wizarding world. It's different from that of the muggle world. You did what you could do."

"Perhaps we should retire to the study with some tea and wait for news. It has been a taxing day for all of us," remarked Theo.

Slowly the four made their way to the study where a abnormally somber Bee served them tea. The room was unnaturally quiet save for the crackling of the fireplace. Hermione sat with Harry's hand clasped in hers and the two friends leaned against one another on the small sofa as if holding each other up. Draco looked tired, and most of all frightened. His hands passed through his hair over and over again making the already unkempt hair even messier. It was only five o'clock in the morning, but it seemed as if days had passed since the discovery of the note, the arrival of Harry, and the confirmation from Blaise. The undrunken tea grew cold and soft noises were heard from the small sofa and armchair next to Draco. He peered over to the other three and saw them fast asleep. He didn't dare to sleep. He knew the guilt he felt in the confirmation of the woman's harm would haunt his dreams. He just..he just couldn't handle that right now.

Hours passed.

His thoughts never ceased.

Was Brown still alive?

Finally, the fireplace flamed green and Blaise stepped out. The three sleeping occupants jerked awake at the noise and looked expectantly at the haggard man.

Draco looked towards his exhausted friend and in a cracked voice he asked, "Did she make it Blaise?"

Blaise sat down heavily on the empty armchair and placed his head in his hands.

"No. I got there just in time they said, but her injuries were too great, even for magic."

The words came out barely at a whisper, but everyone heard it. Hermione gasped and buried her face in Harry's sleeve. Theo's face paled and he bowed his head.

Draco could feel himself shaking, "I...I could have saved her. Fuck. I could have saved her. What have I done?"

Draco leapt from his chair, "What have I done? WHAT HAVE I DONE."

The man crumpled to the floor and folded into himself. Blaise started to go to him, but Theo shook his head at the man. Hermione slowly pulled herself away from Harry and lowered herself to the ground. She crawled to the man and placed a hand on the man's head. His bright blonde locks were soft under her hand. She remembered when her mother used to do the same when she was upset. She closed her eyes in remembrance of warm hands caressing her head. She didn't know what to say to the man. There was really only one thing to say.

"Draco, it wasn't your fault."

The man flinched at her touch, but soon leaned towards it. Hermione hesitated for only a moment before she put her arms fully around the man. Draco immediately opened himself up and buried himself into her arms. She felt the wetness of his tears on the skin of her chest. She held him firmly, trying to put back together a man who had felt that he had failed the world.

**...........**

Once Draco had calmed, he slowly got to his feet, "I think it's best if we all get some sleep. It's been a long night. Potter, Bee will see you to your room. Blaise, Theo you know where your normal rooms are."

The five left the study and headed to their own rooms. Hermione reached hers, but looked back towards Draco's room. He was standing in front of the door, just holding the doorknob. As if noticing her eyes on his, he looked towards her. She saw pain etched on his face, unlike anything she had ever seen. Steeling herself she walked towards him. He looked at her like he was seeing through her, like he was in some other place.

"Draco, can we talk?"

He focused in on her and nodded his head. He opened the door to his room and motioned for her to enter. Kiri was curled up on his pillow, no doubt having escaped the noise sometime in the night. She leapt from the bed and rubbed her head around each of their legs and disappeared through the door to seek another quiet place to curl up. Hermione sat on Draco's bed and patted the place next to her. The man shuffled towards her and collapsed beside her.

"Did I ever tell you why I do what I do?"

She quickly thought and shook her head, "No, no you haven't."

"Only a few people know. Well really only Blaise and Theo know. Not that anyone else would really care. They would blame what happened on the company we kept then."

"What happened Draco?"

The man looked at the woman for a brief moment then stared off into the distance wringing his hands over and over again.

In a small whisper he spoke, "I do what I do for my mother. She...She wasn't the woman everyone thought she was. She was broken. The Dark Lord and his twisted set of followers hurt her. And my father let them."

Hermione forced her face to stay neutral, "How did they hurt her?"

This time when he spoke his gray eyes found hers and held them, "They repeatedly gang raped her. Forced her body to go through miscarriage to miscarriage. She was a pretty plaything to them. My father all but killed her. When she died, she died in pain from everything she had endured in both the first and second war. I couldn't save her. I do what I do so I can make sure women don't have to go through things like that."

Hermione gasped, she couldn't help it. She understood now. She put her hands on either side of his face.

"I'm so sorry Draco. I know sorry doesn't help anything, but just know that I feel that pain. I feel it so much. Do not tear yourself apart for what happened. You did not seal her fate, someone else did."

He looked at her intensely, as if he was seeing inside her soul. He leaned forward and then his lips were over hers. His lips were soft over hers and she felt herself responding to him. It felt so nice to feel another's lips on hers. She hadn't been kissed in almost three years. He...Ron hadn't like to kiss her. In the back of her mind, she was panicking a bit, but she knew who this was. This was Draco. A man who had done everything for her and had expected nothing. Through her time here, she had grown to love his company. He was intelligent, gentle, but still fierce. She had started to care for the man. Had really started to care for him.

All too soon his lips jerked away from hers, "Oh god Hermione. Forgive me. I don't know what came over me."

She looked at the man who looked maniced at the idea that he stole a kiss from her unwillingly. She smiled and reclaimed his lips with hers.

She pulled back from the embrace, "Thank you Draco. I haven't felt something like that in a long time."

He smiled timedly at her, "I'm sorry I unloaded all of that on you. I just...I just felt I needed to tell you."

She nodded at him, "I appreciate you sharing. I understand now."

"Hermione, if I may ask something of you. Please do not be inclined to agree."

She motioned for him to continue.

"Could you stay with me tonight. Just to sleep. I...I just need someone to keep away the dreams tonight, " he asked bashfully.

She reached forward and captured him in her arms, "Yes."

With a flick of his hand, the blankets pulled themselves down to allow them to place themselves under them. Draco lay with his head on Hermione's chest as she stroked his downy head.

"No matter what Hermione. I will see him punished for what he's done. For you," he whispered into her chest.

She planted a small kiss on his head, "Thank you Draco. Once again, for everything."

The two fell asleep clinging to each other and for once, their night held no dreams.


	24. Action

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

**Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

**A/N:** Uh. It is the Monday after Daylight Savings Time. Why do we have to go forward? It's just unfair. I may need another coffee to make up for my lost hours. This week I have a bit of a lighthearted chapter with some banter. I have some pretty nitty gritty chapters coming so I figured, why not give you guys some reprise. I have about a month and a little bit before I start making the move to overseas so I need to put myself on high gear. I would really like to have this fully written before I leave so I can write my next one on the 12+ hour flight I'll no doubt have. As always thank you for reviews, follows, subscribes, and everything else. You guys make my day with your kind words. Until Next Monday! - DCP

**Chapter 24** : Action

The morning light played on Hermione's face and she relished in the warmth on her skin. Sometime during the night, Draco and Hermione had switched places. Hermione started to stir and felt the reassuring presence of Draco's arms around her. He was so warm and solid. Merlin, it felt so good to be held. It felt like he was putting his warmth into her. Speaking of warmth, she felt a rather pokey warmth upon her leg. She felt herself blush. It wasn't as if she had never seen a penis before or felt one, she just wasn't used to having one innocently pressed against her in the morning. Her thoughts wandered. She wondered what it would feel like...to have normal sex. Sex where someone cared for you deeply. One where she was taken care of. Where she was the star of the show. Oh she was rather turned on. She couldn't lie to herself. She knew that bringing herself to act on these feelings would be a journey. Unconsciously she ground herself against the warmth on her thigh.

Oh fuck!

Why did she do that?

Was he still asleep?

She looked up at the man. Oh thank fuck. He was still asleep. Her body betrayed her. How dare it! Didn't it know she was Hermione Granger? Well perhaps her brain thought in logical terms, but that didn't mean her body did too.

She heard a soft humming and looked up again.

Blearily opening his eyes Draco murmured, "Good morning. Is this okay? Is it too much?"

Hermione shook her head, "No. Its fine. Good morning to you as well."

Draco suddenly pushed her away and jumped out of the bed, "Ummm.. excuse me. Loo."

He quickly made his way to the on suite loo with his back strategically towards her. Like she wouldn't guess what he was hiding. She may not have been herself for the last few years, but she still wasn't stupid.

Hermione cuddled back into the warmth of the bed. It was time. Time to make a plan to bring down the monster. She was scared. No, she was more than that. She was absolutely terrified.

What if people didn't believe her?

What if they didn't find any evidence to back her up?

In all her time in the magical world, she had never heard of a case like this. Things like this were always covered up it seemed. How was that fair? Why did women get treated like this? Like they were nothing more than property.

She knew of course the majority of wizards never even thought of hurting their witches, but still. Maybe with this she could help change the wizarding world for the better. Maybe all the pain and suffering she went through will be for naught. She knew she could rise from the ashes, but could other women? She would make sure women never had to go through this again. She would stand up for other women. She would bring that monster down.

She was Hermione Granger.

**............**

"Uh, Hermione. I'm surprised you haven't tried to free Bee."

Hermione laughed, "Oh Harry she is free! She has a wage. I've asked her plenty of times if she is happy and she always says yes. I genuinely think she is a happy elf."

Harry grumbled, "Well good, because she makes a damn fine full English."

Draco smirked at the man, "Complimenting a member of the Malfoy family Potter? I never thought I'd see the day."

Harry sent a rather rude gesture towards the man, but also gave a smile, "Don't expect it often you little ferret."

Draco threw up his hands and winked, "Oh never Mister Chosen One. I would never expect anything from The Boy who Lived Longer than Moldy Voldy."

"Now, now boys. It's best that we start formulating our plan and since we are all here, what better time to start?" said Theo looking to and fro the two men.

"Ah come on mate. It's breakfast!" Blaise bemoaned.

Theo sighed, "And what's stopping you from shoving you face, huh? Nothing. Hush and listen you brute."

"I'll show you a brute, little stuck up prick who has meetings at breakfast. Haven't even finished my coffee." mumbled Blaise.

"What was that Blaise?"

"Nothing Theo, pray continue."

Theo pulled a folder seemingly out of nowhere and placed it in front of him, "I've compiled muggle legal proceedings from cases such as this. Now since the wizarding world has never had a case such as this, we will be working from the ground up. First things first, we need evidence. Blaise, is there anyway for you to get on the case of Ms. Brown's murder?"

Blaise nodded his head slowly and gulped his coffee before saying, "I received an owl early this morning from Darby. He's asked me to take lead on the case since I discovered her." He looked towards Hermione, "Unfortunately, I'm going to have to involve you since you received the note and you as well Draco since she showed signs of physical abuse. Everything will have to be kept confidential. I will request to work alone."

Hermione nodded, "It is for the best. What else can I do to help Theo?"

"Your statement given to Blaise will be immense help, but I would like to put your research skills to the test. I would like for your help going through old forgotten wizarding laws to find anything that can help us."

"What about us?" inquired Draco motioning to himself and Harry.

"Ah yes, you two will have a very important job. Obviously Draco, you will submit records from both Hermione's and Ms. Brown's visits to you. I'm assuming you took detailed notes?" At his nodding, Theo continued, "I need you both to inquire into Mr. Weasley's personal life. Friends, family, and such. I think it is time for you to rejoin the wizarding world Mr. Potter. Instead of Draco accompanying you to interview the Weasley's, I would like to join you instead."

Draco chuckled, "Of course you would Theo. Going to do a little personal business as well?"

Theo blushed, "Uh no. I just...uh… figured I would be a more welcomed face."

Harry looked at Theo, then back at Draco, and jerked his thumb at Theo, "What's with the blush on him?"

Draco smiled, "Oh Theo just has a little crush on one of the redheads."

Theo put his head on the table and covered it with his arm, "Oh come on Draco. Don't tell him that."

Harry raised his eyebrow, "Ginny I assume?"

Draco smiled even wider, "Oh no quite the opposite, a certain little jokester caught our little scholars eye."

Harry's mouth gaped, "What do you mean George? He isn't… well he isn't gay is he? Nah, he can't be."

Theo moaned, "Well explain our little one night stand then."

"What? Are you serious? George Weasley? George? Fuck, ew. I didn't want to know that."

Hermione patted Harry's arm, "Oh come on Harry. The signs have been there. Pretty much everyone had their suspicions about George."

"But...what about Angelina?"

"She was his cover. They were best friends not lovers. Angelina really loved Fred. She still does even after what happened."

"Still ew, but whatever. I guess you can come with me Theo. You are right anyways. It is time I get back out there. I'm still not doing whatever Kingsley wants me to do. He can fuck right off with that shite."

"Also Draco, can you contact Astoria? I would like her assistance. She knows the gossip better than anyone." Draco nodded and Theo continued, this time looking at Hermione, "Hermione are you alright with bringing her in on this? She is a very intelligent girl despite being portrayed as an insufferable gossip. She will keep any secrets we ask her too."

"Although I haven't formally known you long, I trust you Theo. You've done so much for me already. I would love to meet Astoria, and I would appreciate any help she can give me."

Theo smiled and polished his glasses, "Perfect. Thank you for your trust Hermione. Now, if everyone is up to the task, I would like to start as soon as possible."

Everyone nodded their heads and quickly finished their breakfast. Before everyone stood up to go their respective way, Hermione stood up.

"First to everyone here, I want to say thank you for helping me. This is a lot to ask of you. Draco, thank you for saving me. I simply cannot tell you that enough. Theo and Blaise, thank you for finding Harry and helping me build this case. And Harry, thank you for believing me. Second, to be honest, a part of me wants him to suffer immensely for what he did to me and for what he probably did to Lavender. She didn't deserve that. But, I will settle for putting him in Azkaban for the rest of his miserable life so that he can never hurt anyone else. I have faith that we can do this. I will put everything I have into this and I hope everyone can help me. So overall, just thank you."

The woman sat down with a red face and a sparkle of tears in her eyes. Everyone at the table looked at the woman and nodded their heads.

Draco spoke, "I think I speak for everyone here. We are going to get that bastard for what he did. No matter what!"

Blaise punched his fist into the air, "Here here. Now let's get out there and kick some ass."

After a round of cheers, everyone stood and started to go their ways.

Draco grabbed Hermione's hand lightly before she left the room.

Waiting until everyone had left the room, he embraced the woman. Hermione relaxed in his arms and hugged him back.

He whispered in her ears softly, "I meant what I said. I will do anything to make sure he never hurts you again Hermione. I will protect you no matter what."


	25. Discovery

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

 **Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

 **A/N:** We have a plan everyone! WE HAVE A PLAN! Happy Monday everyone! Just a little fyi, look out at the beginning of April on Ao3 for a little oneshot action for a fest. Dramioneasks on tumblr is reposting the previews so look out for mine! I did a funny lighthearted one guys! Can anyone guess what Hogwarts House I am? People that know me irl, always guess right. I wonder if my writing portrays my house. Getting into something more serious, I wanted to address some comments I got on the last chapter. I really appreciate the conversations we have been having throughout this whole work. Some people felt that Hermione shouldn't be ready to go after Ron, or shouldn't have been ready to thank everyone just yet. In my mind, she is healing. She isn't fully healed, but she has a full support system behind her. Hermione is always portrayed in the books as being a super strong willed girl. Not everyone can do what she is doing. It is my hope though, that this gives someone out there hope. No matter what, just know that you are worth it. As always, thank you for your lovely comments (no matter how deep they are they mean a lot to me and I feel for anyone that has been in that situation), your follows, subscribes, and shares. Until Next Monday my dears!- DCP

 **Chapter 25:** Discovery

"Theo! Theo! Theoooo!"

Hermione pushed back her long hair with a dusty hand, "I think I found something!"

Theo emerged from the shelves of Draco's huge library which was stacked with books both from his personal collection and books from the manor as well.

"What did you find?"

"I've been reading that legal ledger from the Ministry in 1598, the one with the most asinine cases I've ever seen. But, it looks like I found an interesting case."

Theo joined Hermione at the table Bee had brought them so they could lay out their notes, "Is it what we had hoped for?"

"I do believe so. Here look for yourself."

She pushed the heavy and worn book towards him. He picked it up and started reading the passage she had indicated.

* * *

_The examination of Selene Harber, the wife of Charles Harber of Crediton, charmer, taken before Henry Merris, esquire the 13th of March 1598._

_The said examinant says that about [a] fortnight before the Feast of Hecate the Wicked last past, this examinant's husband being then and of long tyme time before an ordinary workman to cast dozens of charms on various objects for one William Alby of Crediton aforesaid, wandmaker, did then send this examinant unto the said William Alby his house to sell certain charmed objects. At which time, he the said Alby willed this examinant to come up unto him his bedchamber where his various charmed objects did lie. And as soon as she came up unto him, he did put to the chamber door, and then took her fast about the middle with both his arms in forcible manner against her will. And did cast her down against the edge of a certain coffer and did by the means of the sudden assaulting and laying of violent hands upon her so astonish her that she does not remember whether she did call or cry out for help or not. But says and affirms that he did immediately thereupon forcibly and against her will ravish her and had carnal knowledge of her body without any consent yielded by her and when he had committed the said wicked and unlawful act of carnal copulation with her this examinant, she this examinant having received the yarn of him for which she was sent, told him that she would surely reveal the matter unto her husband. Which she did accordingly as soon as she came home, and told him that he had thrust her so violently against the said coffer, that her back was very sore therewithal. Which upon view thereof by him taken he did perceive to be black and blue behind in the lower part of her back, and she then further told her said husband that he had forcibly spoiled her, and did feel herself to be much grieved and hurt otherwise by that means. According the wizarding law, William Alby was administered a dose of Veritaserum and confessed to the crime. According to Wizarding Law 3045, 'Thou may not touche a woman bound to a man whether through marriage or familie ties, may that be an offense past or present, without the permission from said man.' William Alby will be sentenced to death by hippogriff in the following fortnight in front of the wronged family._

* * *

Theo finished reading and looked up at Hermione, "And how does this help us Hermione?"

"Didn't you see? 'Thou may not touche a woman bound to a man whether through marriage or familie ties, may that be an offense past or present, without the permission from said man.' Well, since I have no family, maybe there is a way for me to gain some family. I'm obviously not up to marrying anyone."

Theo pulled the glasses from his face and began polishing them slowly, "Hmm. Perhaps adoption may be an option. Not from just anyone though. Being adopted by someone from a part of the sacred twenty-eight for instance, would give you credence with some of the more… how should i say, traditional members of the Wizengamot."

Hermione looked skeptical, "Even if the adoption is possible, no one will take it seriously Theo. I am nowhere near a pureblood. A half-blood I can see being somewhat respected, but me? No way."

"Then we will find something in your ancestral line to give you a leg up."

"Then what noble house do you suggest?"

Theo appraised her up and down, "It would have to be either me or Draco I suppose. I am the last of my line, and all alone. So perhaps I am the best bet. Yet, if I am to represent you in court that would be a conflict of interest I don't believe you'd like to be adopted by Draco either."

Hermione blushed at Theo's implication, "Wait. Harry technically was named an heir to the noble house of Black. As far as I know only Harry remains tied to that line anyway."

Theo looked at her surprised, "You are right. It would be a safe option. It would mean a resurfacing of a lost house as well. Many traditionalist would find that admirable. Yet, this is all dependent on if we can find anything in your ancestral lines."

Hermione nodded, "We have a lot riding on different aspects of this idea. I suggest we bring these findings and discussions to Draco. He is still here isn't he?"

"He should be yes. I do believe he is waiting on Astoria today."

For some reason Hermione felt a shiver go up her spine, "Ah yes. Well perhaps we should wait?"

"Whatever for? We might as well fill both of them in if we are to be working with her."

Hermione slowly nodded as they both got up from their chairs and headed out of the library. Hermione was feeling quite strange at the idea of the woman there with Draco. She didn't really know how to describe the feeling persay.

"Draco? Where are you? Hermione and I need to speak with you," called out Theo.

Faintly they heard Draco reply, "In the garden with Tori."

They headed toward the small garden. Hermione was nervous to meet the woman that Theo and Draco were trusting with her secrets, but she supposed they knew what they were doing. A shaft of light illuminated two blonde heads as the two came into view. Astoria was beautiful. She was the quintessential proper pureblood woman. Hermione felt jealous. She was never considered beautiful, nor seen in that light. She was always the dirty mudblood, the girl with the brains and not the beauty, but she had always wanted to be like Astoria. Yet she knew, she couldn't hold a candle to the woman.

Noticing herself and Theo entering the room Draco and Astoria turned.

"Theo, Hermione is something wrong?" said Draco with a concerned look on his face.

"Nothing is wrong at all. We just found something in the records that may give us a leg up."

Astoria stepped forward and held out her hand, "Before we get into more serious matters, let me introduce myself. My name is Astoria Greengrass, but you can call me Tori. I know it may be hard to trust me, but I promise to have the utmost discretion. I want to help."

Hermione grasped her hand and gave it a small shake, "I trust Draco, so I'll trust you."

Astoria laughed and touched Draco's arm, "How times have changed have they not?"

She smiled back at the woman. She didn't quite like the way she touched Draco's arm. Wait was she jealous? Why would she be jealous? Perhaps she wasn't quite happy with bringing in Astoria, but it was for the best was it not? She needed to trust Theo. He was the brains behind this. He knew what was best. Right?

"With introductions out of the way, let us tell you what we found. We discovered an old wizarding law that protects a woman from harm if someone other than her pater familias harms her. Essentially we need Hermione to be adopted by a member of the sacred twenty-eight. We will also be going through her ancestral lines to see if she has anything to help in that regard as well."

Hermione nodded in agreement and continued, "We were thinking of reviving the Black family line. We would need Harry and you to agree since your mother was the last of the line to the adoption. What do you think?"

Draco rubbed his jaw, "Hmm. It might be a good idea to use this in court. I'll owl my lawyerand ask her thoughts as well. I will only tell her what she needs to know of course. We already have quite a number of people in our circle."

Astoria touched Draco's arm again, "Draco while you are writing to your lawyer, would it be okay if I spoke to Hermione alone? And of course if that is alright with you as well Hermione."

Draco looked to Hermione and she gave him a quick nod, "It seems amiable to both of us. Theo if you could advise me? If you'll excuse us."

Both Draco and Theo left leaving herself and Astoria in the small garden. Astoria gestured to a small bench and they both took a seat.

"I know this seems strange for me to be here and wanting to help. But I can assure you I have reasons. I want to tell you those reasons so you understand why," said Astoria grasping one of Hermione's hand in her own.

"My story is not unlike your own. Except mine ends in a way that I don't want yours to end. It happened right before the last battle," she continued with tears in eyes.

Hermione grasped the woman's hand in hers and began to listen to her story.


	26. Empathy

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

**Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

**A/N:** Happy Monday everyone! Today's chapter is a tad bit dark but it serves a purpose as does everything in this fic. In other news, I worked a bit on a new fic I've had in the back of my mind since I started this fic. This one is based off of the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, mostly for inspiration. I'm planning on murder, mayhem, and some eventual lemons. What do we think? As always thank you for the amazing reviews, the follows, subscriptions, and shares. I love you all! Until Next Week- DCP

**Chapter 26:** Empathy

Hermione could feel the woman's hand beginning to shake in her hands as the woman began her tale.

"I was so young, not yet 16. My father had been given the so-called honor of hosting the Dark Lord at our home. He was so pleased that he of all the death eaters was given the honor. It was supposed to be a great feast in honor of what they thought was going to be the end of the war. My father made both myself and Daphne dress in our finest as the Dark Lord himself had requested our presence. Oh how my father was so proud. His little girls being requested by the Dark Lord. How he bragged to the other death eaters. 'My girls are the finest of the purebreed ladies' he said."

Her breath shuttered and she closed her eyes before she continued, "When Daphne and I walked into the dining room, it was splendid. Mother and the house elves really outdid themselves. Our finest china was laid out and at every place at the table was a death eater dressed in their best. We were the only people under 30 at the table. At that moment, I felt so important you see. I was proud that I was good enough to sit at the table with these supposed great men. At the head of the table of course sat the Dark Lord himself. He was so terrible to gaze upon, so my gaze stayed on my plate for the meal. The meal ended without event, but as my sister and I rose the Dark Lord put his hand up. He looked upon us and told my sister to go. I was to stay and provide entertainment. I assumed he meant singing or playing the piano, but he did not mean that at all."

Tears were streaming from her closed eyes and she held Hermione's hand in a vice like grip, "If it's too painful for you to continue, I understand Astoria."

Her eyes jerked open, "No, you have to know. You have to."

Hermione nodded her head and grabbed the woman's other hand as Astoria found her words, "He ordered men to grab me and take me to him. He caressed my face with one of his hands. It was cold and it smelled like death. He said that I was the perfect example of the pureblood woman and that my...my cunt had to be perfect as well. He looked up the men and asked who would have me. He called Draco's father forward and demanded he take me right then and there. I was a virgin, he was so rough. My father watched as his daughter was raped. He did nothing. They left me there when they were done. A few other men had had their turn with me. My mother was crying when she found me and she helped me clean up. She told me I could never say anything. That it was a burden we pureblood women had to bear. To be slaves, to be treated like animals. You are one of the few I've told."

The hurt in the woman's eyes mirrored her own. She knew what it was like to be treated like nothing. She took the woman in her arms. She had been so quick to judge her. Astoria knew what it was like to be hurt by someone you knew, even by someone you loved.

She whispered quietly to the sobbing woman, "Does Draco know?"

She felt the woman nod into her shoulder, "When his father was sent to prison, I went to him and told him. He looked at me with such sad eyes and told me he knew. His father had come home bragging about taking me. Apparently I was his top pick for Draco's wife. He told him that my cunt was perfect for him and that it was only proper for a father-in-law to sample the wares before marriage. I truly believe that was one thing that broke Draco."

Astoria removed her face from her shoulder and wiped at the tears that had gathered on her face, "Now you see why I want to help. There are so many of us out there that cannot do anything. If anyone can change the wizarding world, its you."

Hermione was touched. The woman had spilled her heart out and had entrusted her a secret that would have torn her apart if the wizarding world knew. She gathered the woman in her arms and gave her the biggest embrace she could.

"Astoria when all this is over, do you think we could start a group where women like us could talk?"

Astoria squeezed her, "I'd like that Hermione. I'd really like that."

And just like that, Hermione had found another who shared the deep hurt that she still felt. Someone who she was also fighting for. She was going to fight hard, for herself, for Lavender, for Astoria, and all other women who had to bow their heads in submission because there was no protection for them. She would fight like nothing else mattered.

**…...**

"Do you think she is telling her?"

Draco stopped writing and with sadness in his voice he replied, "I imagine so Theo. Astoria and Hermione share a hurt we could never understand. Even though I watched my mother go through it, I cannot imagine it. Hermione will no doubt fight even harder, for all of the women who share that hurt."

Theo placed a hand on Draco's shoulder, "You care for her don't you?"

Draco dropped his head into his hands, "More than I am allowed Theo. She has gone through so much. She cannot be ready to go through anything like this. I do not deserve her in the least bit. She has captured my senses, frayed my mind, made me fall so hard for the woman who has risen from the ashes."

"Are you sure she doesn't feel the same? I've seen the way she looks at you."

Draco let his head rest on the desk, shuffling his letter aside, "After what Astoria tells her, any affections toward me will no doubt dissolve. I'm tainted Theo. My whole family was. Even my poor sweet mother was taken away by that taint. That bastard ruined us."

Theo sighed, "The sins of your father are not yours to bear Draco. Tell her your feelings and let her decide how she feels. She is strong Draco and she won't force herself into something she doesn't want."

Theo glanced at his watch and gave his friend one last squeeze on the shoulder, "It's about time for me to meet up with Potter. He wants to go meet up with George today at the joke shop. He's sent letters to the Weasley's and other acquaintances announcing his return."

Draco glared at his friend, "How about you take your own advice then Theo? Tell that ginger jokester how you feel about him."

Theo blushed scarlet, "Well best be going then. Bye Draco."

Draco was left alone in his study with only his thoughts for company. He knew what Astoria was telling Hermione wasn't pleasant. He remembered when his father had come back and bragged about it to him.

'What a sweet little cunt it was my boy. You'll be please with her. She is a proper little pureblood. Didn't even scream when I put my cock in. She will make a fine wife for you. A proper Malfoy woman just like your mother.'

He had been so disgusted with his father. What kind of person rapes a 15 year old? Certainly not a man. His already disintegrating views came crashing down. They had been broken when he saw his mother raped, but now they were completely gone. He knew he wouldn't fight with the dark anymore. He just couldn't. He wasn't that person. He had known Astoria since they were both toddling around. She was like a little sister to him. That bastard had tainted her too. He tainted everything. He ruined everything.

His thoughts turned to what Theo said. He couldn't talk to her. Not right now. She was still healing deeply. He would let her take the wheel. All he could do was to protect her. No matter what.

His head snapped off the desk as he heard the door open. The two women were talking quietly while clasping each others hands. They both gave him a little wave and sat in the arm chairs near the fireplace. He heard little titters of laughter and he smiled. He was worried about bringing in Astoria. But it seemed that she was good for Hermione. He glanced back at his desk and pulled the discarded letter back towards him.

Tomorrow was a new day, and tomorrow was going to be the day they brought the case to the Wizengamot. He hoped for all their sakes, they would win.


	27. Evidence

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

**Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

**A/N:** Happy Monday all! I have some news. I think I am going to take a hiatus from this work for a while.

**Kidding!** April Fool's! I could never do that! Anyways, I wanted to address a comment I go last week. I had a reviewer mention that having a 'previously on OoD' section before every new chapter would be helpful. The reason I don't do that is because I hate works that do do that. It interrupts the flow of the work so much and once the work is completed, it just seems strange to me. Thank you for the suggestion though! I just rather not do it for my work! Check out the dramioneasks tumblr if you wanted to see the preview for my oneshot I did for the Riddikulus Fest! Its called Of Manis and Men! I'm so excited for you guys to read it. It will be released on A03 first, but when the fest is over, I will post it on FFN as well. Look me up on A03 and look forward to it! As always thank you for the amazing reviews, follows, subs, and shares. Until Next Monday- DCP

**Chapter 27:** Evidence

Theo quickly apparted out of Draco's house and out of all the embarrassment his friend had heaped upon him. He didn't blame him since Theo was doing the same thing to him. Draco always knew how to piss Theo off. He just had to bring up George.

Theo strode down Diagon Alley and took a seat at a bench to wait for Potter. He closed his eyes, remembering the first time he met George. Theo had, on a whim, gone to a club with a few work friends. He hadn't necessarily wanted to go, but his young colleagues insisted that he join. He had been sitting at the bar, nursing his drink, when a man had sat down next to him with a sigh. He looked over and saw bright red hair. The man look dejected. Theo knew what had happened to the man. He couldn't imagine losing someone so close to him. Was there anyone really closer than two twins? He could hardly think so.

He motioned to the barkeep and whispered an order. The man pushed a glass of firewhiskey in front of the redhead and jerked his head towards Theo. Theo raised his drink to the man and took a long swallow.

The redhead looked at him with a puzzled expression on his face, "Why?"

"You looked like you needed it."

George reached for the drink and swallowed the glass's contents, "Well, you are right. I did need it."

Theo motioned for the barkeep to refill the man's drink, "By the way you swallowed that drink, I'm guessing you rather not talk about it."

George look down at the swirling brown liquid, "I rather not even think," he said, his voice cracking.

Theo polished off his own drink, "There's a simple fix for not thinking."

"Oh and what's that?"

Theo fisted his newly filled glass, "Drink until you can't."

The two had drank until the night had nearly ended. They ended up kissing in the club loo. Theo had suggested they go back to his and thus began his one night stand with George Weasley. Theo's heart wrenched at the thought of the man's hands upon his chest. He had had a crush of the redhead since 5th year. He could tell the twins apart you know. Fred was more lively, and George the smallest bit more serious. George had the cutest little mole by his mouth that teased Theo ever time the man's mouth moved. Their encounter that day had been right out of Theo's fantasies. But when Theo woke up the next morning, George was gone.

He opened his eyes and surveyed the alley. He was nervous, hell he was more than nervous. He was practically distraught, which for Theo Nott, was highly unusual. His leg bounced on the cobbled street from the anxiety. He glanced at his watch, where was Potter? Surely he hadn't left Theo to do this on this own? The man wouldn't talk to Theo. He doubted the redhead remembered their little rendezvous, but he didn't want to take any chances. Plus, his reputation was still a little shaky in the wizarding community. Thankfully, he had flown under the radar for the most part during the wizarding war. But still, his father was a Death Eater. That kind of thing did a number on one's reputation.

"Waiting for me long?" said a voice struggling to regain their breath.

Potter came running towards him down the streets of Diagon Alley. He had taken the precaution to conceal his looks as to not cause a swarm of people asking for autographs, hand shakes and the like. No one knew Potter had actually left the Wizarding World, but he was seen as a recluse, working with the Ministry on projects. He was never seen out and about.

"I waited maybe five minutes. Nothing to worry about Potter," lied Theo.

Potter nodded his head and waited for Theo to vacate the bench, "Sorry mate. I wanted to stop by somewhere. Somewhere a bit special, and I got carried away."

Theo noticed the man's pensive face and shrugged, "No issue at all."

Potter nodded and they set off to the joke shop. It was splendid. It was a beacon of color and fun in Diagon Alley. The end of the war had not diminished the popularity of the store, but rather it had increased it. Now there were several Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes across the whole of Europe.

Theo hesitated at the door of the building. He squared his shoulders and stepped in after Potter. Fireworks streamed above his head, a pair of kids taunted each other with rubber chickens, and the whole building sounded like chaos mixed with laughter. After Potter had asked for George, a pink hair woman at the checkout desk directed them upstairs. As the two climbed the stairs, Theo breathed in and out attempting to calm himself before his interaction with George. If he could remain impassive before the Dark Lord, surely he could do it in front of George Weasley.

Potter knocked on a door proclaiming it was the office of George Weasley and a gruff voice welcomed them in.

"Harry! It's great to see you mate. Thought I'd never get to see you again. Mum has been worried sick about you all these years," the redhead said as he enveloped Potter into what looked to be a strong hug.

Potter looked at the man sheepishly and started trying to flatten his hair, "Oh Merlin, please say Molly hasn't been that worried about me."

George smiled widely at the man, "You have a few sweaters built up mate. All lovely and flattering, unlike ours. Sit down?"

Sweaters? Theo hesitated, but still took a seat beside Potter.

George sat behind the desk and motioned to Theo, "So what's the deal with him? Looks a little stiff doesn't he?"

Theo felt his face grow red under George's scrutiny, but he forced the feeling down and tried to remain passive.

"Ah this is Theo. Theo Nott. He's a lawyer. "

George quirked an eyebrow at him, "Lawyer? Whatever do you need a lawyer to come with you on a visit to an old friend mate?"

Potter looked down at his lap, "I can't tell you much George, but I need to ask you some questions. Please keep anything we say to yourself. Can you do that?"

George looked at the two of them and slowly shook his head, "Of course Harry. What do you need?"

Potter pulled a sheet of parchment out of his pocket that Theo and Blaise had drafted for him, "When is the last time you spoke to Hermione, George?"

"Uh, Merlin. It's been years. Ron always came without her to any family things, not like Ron really came to many of them anyways. She was always busy, he was always busy. I thought it was a bit strange, but all of us just figured it was the way it was."

Potter scribbled on the sheet and continued, "Did you notice anything different with Ron?"

George absentmindedly began to ruffle his hair, "He was more serious. When we did see him, he just wasn't really the ickle Ronnykins we knew. I may have played a prank on him last Christmas and he drew his wand on me and not in a joking matter either. Figured he had had a stressful day. Still though, something just seemed different about him. Just wrong. He wasn't quite right after you left mate."

Theo held up his hand and spoke, "If we needed you, could you testify to this in front of a court of law Mr. Weasley?"

George's face paled, "What do you mean court of law? What's going on Harry?"

Potter looked at the man, "George, mate, I can't tell you. I'm sorry, but it has to be kept a secret. From everyone for the time being."

"Does it have anything to do with Hermione leaving the country?"

Theo once again raised a hand, "Mr. Weasley, it'll be harder for us all if we tell you anything," Theo slid him a card, "Perhaps you should come to this address in a few days to talk. Until then, we ask that you keep our visit, and our questions to yourself. We should get back Potter."

George took the card and nodded extending his hand towards Potter, "Whatever it is, I trust you Harry. Make sure you go see Mum soon. She misses you something mad mate."

Potter stood up and clasped the man's hand in his own, "You know I will. I can't let an opportunity to taste your mum's cooking again slide by. I'll see you in a few days George."

Potter started towards to the door and Theo started to walk after him.

"Wait," said the redhead in a small whisper, "Mind if I talk to Theo really quick Harry?"

Potter blushed a faint pink, nodded and exited the door. Theo looked at the man, attempting to avoid his eyes.

"I remember that night. I'm sorry I left in the morning. I just… well it was a rough night for me."

Theo nodded, "Understandable. Excuse me, but we have lots to do today."

He turned to exit, but a hand grasped his wrist, "Would you like to get drinks? Maybe even dinner? I was a right dick for leaving, and I'd like to make it up to you."

Theo turned towards the man and nodded his head, "Um yes, do send an owl when you are free."

The hand let go of his wrist, "I'll do that."

Theo exited the room and felt his face turn quite red. Potter was standing on the landing and gave Theo a small smile and raised an eyebrow.

"Went well did it?"

Theo sent him a rude gesture and started going down the stairs, "Oh shut up Potter. Don't tell Draco. I don't need to add more fuel to the fire."

Potter chuckled, "Got it mate. As long as you don't tell him about the sweaters."

Theo nodded, "Let's get back to Draco and tell him what George said. I have a feeling George isn't the only member of the Weasley family that noticed something was wrong with him."

Potter nodded to him and they both apparted back to Draco's flat to tell him what they had learned.


	28. Fuel

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

**Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

**A/N:** Happy Monday! I think I said that I was moving overseas soon? Well that is happening in about a month in a half. I really wanted to finish this story before then, but it seems my story has other plans. I may try to write the whole thing over a long weekend and post multiple chapters to make that deadline. Who knows? Anyways in other news, my oneshot is live on Ao3. If you search DirtyCavePainter and go to my works, you'll see it there! It's called 'Of Manis and Men'. I worked hard to make it funny so let me know how you like it! After this week we are going to start getting into trial stuff which is soooo exciting for the story. I am going to try my hardest to make it sound super lawyery but hey, I'm not a lawyer. As always thank you for your lovely reviews, follows, subs, and shares. Until Next Week!- DCP

**Chapter 28:** Fuel

"Are you sure about this Hermione? We can always wait a little longer before we proceed with the filing."

Hermione shook her head defiantly at Theo, "I'm ready Theo. I've been ready. We need to do this before he hurts someone else."

Draco laid a hand on Hermione's arm, "We are just worried about you Hermione. We care about you. This is a big step."

Hermione stopped dead in the middle of the lobby of the Ministry. People were milling about going from department to department. She hadn't really given thought about where she was until Draco had said that this was the big step. It was only a few months ago that she was here, barely surviving. Now she was back, stronger and about to file paperwork that would help take the man who hurt her down. She couldn't believe it. It seemed like a dream.

She took a big breath, "I know Draco. But I promise you, I am ready."

She began walking again. This time with purpose in every step. She could hear the chattering of various Ministry employees around them. Whispers of her name, Draco's, and Theo's fell from their lips. Harry hadn't gone with them at Hermione's request. She didn't want Harry to be pulled into this publicly yet. She ran a hand through her long hair and sighed to herself. No doubt the news of their visit to the Ministry would be gracing the Prophet tomorrow. If Skeeter was writing it, it would no doubt cast them in a terrible light. Hermione could only hope that the story was buried in the pages of the newspaper.

The rest of the journey to the Magical Law Enforcement Office was in silence. Hermione felt the tension and nervousness in the air around the group.

This was it.

This was the big step. They still had a lot to do in terms of evidence gathering, but Blaise was solo on the investigation the case of Lavender's death which would be connected to her case through Draco's notes. They could do this, they had to do this. If they didn't… Merlin knows what would happen.

As they walked through the door of the office, Theo was immediately greeted by a flurry of hellos and handshakes.

A middle aged wizard grabbed Theo's hand and smiled at him, "Theo! Finally back huh? Heard you were on a little vacation. Have a case now?"

Theo shook the man's hand, "When do I never not have a case Rod? But I do need to file this case with Kate if you'd please excuse us."

The man's eyes grew wide as he seemed to notice both Hermione and Draco standing behind Theo.

He sputtered, "But..You and You? And what? Theo?"

Theo continued walking and gave the man a nonchalant wave, "See you next week Rod."

Draco leaned in and whispered into Hermione's ear, "Was it me that frightened him? Or was it you?"

Hermione laughed at Draco, "I think it was the combination of both of us that scared him."

"We do make a frightening team. And now that you are officially a part of the Black family, that means by family we are technically related."

Hermione made a disgusted face, "Ugh. Don't even bring that up Draco. Thankfully wizarding names don't work the same as muggle names. I may be technically Hermione Jean Granger Black but I don't have to go by it."

Harry and Draco had sent off the paperwork as soon as Draco's lawyer had given them the go ahead. There were no assets involved in the adoption so it was a clear cut case. She was now a member of the Potter family and the Black family. Through some loophole in wizarding law, Harry had claimed her as an adoptive sister and had declared her as the Black family heir through the rite that Sirius had left him. Though she was a bit sad since it felt like she was leaving her family behind, she knew that her parents would want her to make this step. She was also happy to have a family again. She always knew that Harry would always be a part of her family but this solidified it.

Theo stopped walking, pulling Hermione out of her thoughts, "Ah Kate. How good it is to see you."

A devastatingly beautiful woman with black hair and piercing blue eyes smiled at Theo, "How good it is to see you as well my dear Theo. Filing a case today mi amor?"

Theo nodded at her and handed her a case file. She took the file and began to read through. As she read, her eyebrows began to raise higher and higher.

"You always bring the most interesting cases in my office il mio intelligente. This is going to garner a lot of public attention and the Wizengamot is going to want to use one of the big courtrooms for the case. No doubt they will want to use the full Wizengamot as well, not just the regular force. This is going to take a while to get together il mio piccolo serpente."

Theo nodded, "I figured as much Kate. We of course would not mind time to gather more evidence against the opposition. Any idea what the timeline will be with the other party to be inform. With this matter of case, my client needs to be protected."

Hermione felt the gaze of the woman on her. She looked into the woman's eyes and saw the pain and sorrow reflected in them. Perhaps this woman too knew the pain.

"Since the client is present, I will file this today and send you an owl on that timeline. I understand the risk in such a case. You should remember that Theo."

Theo gave a little bow, "Of course I remember Kate. Thank you. I appreciate the warning. I'll see you on Monday."

The two gave a little wave and Theo left the room.

"Ms. Granger?" a honeyed voice called out.

Hermione looked back at the woman and saw her rise from her seat.

With a hand out towards Hermione, she said, "Good luck Ms. Granger. I see a fire within you."

Hermione grasped the woman's hand, "Thank you."

Hermione hurried after the retreating group and together they left the department. They filed back into the Ministry lobby and headed towards the apparation points scattered toward the back of the atrium.

"Fancy seeing you here Hermione. How was your...vacation?"

The voice made her stop dead in her tracks. She was frozen. She wanted to keep walking, draw towards Draco, or even take off in a dead sprint. But she couldn't. Her mind my blank. She could feel her body begin to shake as the man spoke again.

"I see you now hold company with a den of snakes. How quaint."

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Draco take a step forward and shield her with his body.

In a icy voice that she hadn't heard since they were still in school, Draco spat, "What do you want Weasley? Can't you see we are busy? Go fuck off from wherever you came from."

"I daresay Malfoy you are still the same little shit you were in school. Now if you'll excuse me, I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to Hermione."

She could hear his boots walking around her and Draco. Her gaze was firmly on the ground when a pair of dragonskin boots stopped in front of her.

"I am merely curious on how my ex girlfriend has been faring. That's all. Isn't that right Hermione? Perhaps we can get dinner and talk about our relationship. Surely two friends can do that. We've been friends for years. Right Hermione?"

She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to hear his voice grating over her. She was desperately trying to maintain her composure. To maintain the strength she had recently found. She knew she had to show him that she wasn't someone he could throw around anymore. She force her gaze upright and stared at the man in front of her. He looked the same as he always did, bright red hair, beard, freckles, but she could see that something in his eyes had shifted. He looked unhinged. She shuddered at the madness in his eyes.

Summoning the courage to speak, she squeaked, "We are not friends Ronald. Nor would I like to be. Now if you'll excuse me."

Her movements felt jerky as she began to walk around the man towards the apparation points. She wanted to get away so badly. She was barely around the man when she felt a hand clamp around her wrist tightly. She knew who the hand belonged to. Draco would never grasp her so tightly that it would no doubt leave a bruise.

"Let go of her Weasley," growled Draco voice low as to not cause a scene.

She could hear the smile in the man's voice as he spoke, "What claim do you have to her Malfoy? Huh?"

"She's my girlfriend. Now let her go."

She felt the hand squeeze tighter for a mere second then release her. She drew her wrist close to her and started to massage the blood back into it. She turned around to see the men almost nose to nose.

"She'll come back to me you fucking snake. And when she does, I'll make everyone pay for taking her away."

At that Ron turned and walked away leaving the trio staring after him. Draco shook his head and grabbed Hermione around the waist gently.

"Let's go home."

As she allowed Draco to side-along her to his flat, she turned into the man's chest and cried.


	29. Fury

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

**Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

**A/N:** Happy Monday! I know my update is a little late, but all this moving prep is making me go crazy! I wanted to get ahead on this pic, but it seems like life is just telling me 'no, you can't do that, you are not allowed'. Rather intense chapter this week. I don't normally do a split perspective chapter, but I didn't feel that Ron should have his own chapter. While I'm here, thank you for everyone who read my oneshot over on Ao3. I have crossposted it over to FFN, so if you didn't get a chance, give it a read! As always thank you for the AMAZING reviews, follows, subs, and shares! Until Next Week- DCP

**Chapter 29:** Fury

* * *

_The Ministry of Magic_

_The Department of Magical Law Enforcement_

_Kate Fiorello_

_Senior Magical Law Analyst_

_February 26, 2002_

_Mr Ronald Weasley,_

_You are hereby ordered to appear in front of the Wizengamot on the 2nd Day of March 2002 in the case of Hermione Granger v. Ronald Weasley. Please bring your representation to hear the opening statements and arrangement of the trial.You will be granted a week to gather evidence and witnesses after the opening statements are given to better defend yourself against the accuser. If you are unable to afford representation, the Ministry of Magic will assign you a lawyer from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Please send an owl regarding your acknowledgment of the above summons and whether or not you will need a lawyer assigned to you._

_Respectfully,_

_Kate Fiorello_

_Senior Magical Law Analyst_

* * *

The hands holding the parchment shook as the man's eyes furiously read its contents. In a fit of rage the man tore the parchment. He should have known something was suspicious when he saw the bitch surrounded by those fucking snakes at the Ministry. It was bad enough that fuck Zabini was sniffing around him because of his connection to Lavender. That fuck had nothing on him, he had made sure of that.

He had to think.

What did that bitch have on him? Everything was done cleanly. He was so careful. She had nothing but her word. Her word wasn't worth anything. She had no one. Her little snakes couldn't do anything for her. Their reputations were tainted and that taint would rub off on her. Once she was humiliated, he would take pity on her of course. He would take her back fully, and then he would kill her. Just like Lavender.

He could feel himself get hard at the thought. He had felt such joy when he had heard that he had killed Lavender. He closed his eyes and brought out his cock. He stroked himself at the image of her blood spilling over his hands and fucking her while blood bubbled in her throat. He would do the same to Hermione too. He blew his load imaging Hermione's warm blood sliding down his body.

Fuck.

He wanted her right now. He cleaned himself up and sat on his couch. He shot a quick reparo at the parchment and smoothed it over his knee. This could be an opportunity. Perhaps he could get the woman even faster. He knew all the tricks of the most hardened criminals due to his years as an Auror. He could kidnap the woman and no one would be the wiser. Surely the idiot snakes are doing this only for their gain. They only did things for their gain. Especially Draco fucking Malfoy.

He laughed at the thought. Hermione had no one. No one except for him. Those snakes don't truly care for her. Only he did. And he would do anything to get her back.

Anything.

* * *

Theo pushed a piece of parchment towards Draco and Hermione, "Kate sent the summons today. She promised to send an owl out as soon as she receives an answer to the summons."

Hermione looked at the parchment in her hand. It all felt so real. It was finally time to bring him the justice. Yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. She shuddered and she felt Draco put a hand on her back.

"What's wrong Hermione?" he asked in a soothing voice.

She looked at him and shook her head, "I don't know Draco. I just… I just can't help feeling that something is going to happen. He must be furious right about now. He has to know why I am bringing this up in front of the Wizengamot."

Draco rubbed her back in small circles in an attempt to soothe her, "He can't get to you Hermione. The four of us will make sure of that. While he might make a move against us Slytherin's, he wouldn't dare make a move against Potter."

She muddled this over. He had a point. She would be watched night and day by four men who wanted to help her. If you added Astoria to the mix, she has a formidable force behind her. He wouldn't dare hurt her. She was safe.

Safe from him.

"You are right Draco. I'm just being ridiculous. Any news from Blaise on the case?"

A deep voice called out behind her, "You can ask him yourself."

She leapt from her seat and hugged that man. She has grown quite attached to Theo and Blaise. They weren't exactly used to her hugs quite yet but she was slowly getting them used to it. Part of being a friend of Hermione Granger was getting hugged.

"Blaise! Where have you been?"

Draco snickered, "No doubt with his little Loony Luna."

Hermione glanced back and forth from the two men, "Wait. Are you and Luna…?"

Blaise reddened and looked away from Hermione, "Yeah, for a while now. She talks about you a lot you know. She misses you. She also asks about Kiri a lot. Something about the pygmy nargals informing her that the cat was crucial."

Hermione thought about the blonde Ravenclaw. It had been so long since she had seen the woman. They had grown close for a bit after the war. Although the woman had crazy ideas about imaginary creatures, she was still very smart. The war seemed to sober her up quite a bit in terms of her obsession with her creatures. Hermione remembered hearing that the woman had opened a pet shop in Diagon Alley to replace the one that had been destroyed in the war. She had heard the news after a particularly violent night but the news had made her so happy.

"I'd like to see her again," she said in a small voice.

Blaise smiled widely at her, "I was hoping you'd say that. I may have brought her along."

A figure dressed in light lilac robes drifted into the room as if she knew her presence was requested. Hermione smiled to herself, Luna hadn't changed a bit. Her face still had the dreamy expression and she could see a butterbeer necklace peeking out from the collar of her robes.

The woman reached out and enveloped Hermione in a tight hug, "It is wonderful to see you Hermione. I was quite worried for you. Every time I saw you on chance, the lack of goldy caits worried me so."

Hermione returned the hug, "I've missed you too Luna."

A fluffy black body twined between the two women's legs. A series of small meows called attention to the little cat who was desperately trying to catch the women's attention.

Luna smiled and bent to pick up the kitten, "I see you are doing quite well little one. I knew you would. It seems you have brought the goldy caits back to your owners. Both of them."

The kitten nuseled herself into the woman's arm and Hermione could hear the purr of the satisfied kitten. Luna was right. The kitten had brought joy to her.

Theo cleared his throat, "Pleasantries aside, any news Blaise?"

Blaise looked towards Hermione and inclined his head towards Luna. She gave him a nod. She could trust Luna.

Blaise turned back towards Theo and Draco, "Unfortunately there isn't much to work with. He was clean and careful. He has three years of experience working with the Auror Department. He knows how to clean up a mess effectively and he knows what we look for during an investigation. All we have is a tenuous connection between Hermione and Lavender through Draco's notes. Unless we get him to slip up during the trial, I don't think I can pin this on him."

Draco nodded his head, "I figured it was going to be like that Blaise. He is smarter than we give him credit for. Potter is still working with the Weasley's is he not?"

Theo nodded his head, "In a way, yes. He has instructed the rest of the Weasleys to keep the news from Ronald about his return. They have of course questioned the motive but they trust Potter."

"Can we count on their testimony on his change in behavior?"

Theo pushed his glasses up his nose, "We can count on George and perhaps Ginny. I've spoken to George privately to get him up to speed on things. He's been speaking with the other Weasleys covertly. As for Molly and Arthur, they would be hard pressed to speak out against their own son."

Hermione nodded, "And I wouldn't ask them to. George should be enough if Ginny can't testify."

Draco looked at Hermione, "Do you think they will defend him?"

Thinking back at all the years Molly had hated Hermione because of things in the _Prophet_ , Hermione glanced at him, "I truly hope they don't Draco. I don't think I could handle that. But Molly has believed falsehoods before so what's stopping her this time."

Luna pressed a hand to Hermione's back, "Perhaps this time she will see the support you have and see the truth. You can do this Hermione. "

Hermione glanced around the room. The support around her was growing and growing. Everyday she believed more and more that she could do this. She could win this.

She looked from person to person and smiled, "Luna is right. I can do this. I can do this because of all of you. And if Molly doesn't believe me, that's okay. I have seven people who do."

Draco stepped forward and put an arm around her shoulders, "And no doubt that support will grow even bigger."

Theo waved his hands, "Yes, yes support and all that. Let's get to work. We have a psychopath to take down."

And they would. One way or another.


	30. Stand

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

**Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

**A/N:** Happy Monday my dear readers! What a Monday it has been too. It seems that my brain has soo many ideas for this fic, but I have no time to write them down. I thankfully had some time to write this chapter as I was in the passenger seat on an 11 hour drive back home to see my family for the last time for three years. My best friend/beta reader is coming to visit me, so no doubt I will get a ton of ideas for this fic and for my next fic that I have been messing around with. In the coming weeks, I my chapters may have more errors in them than usual, so please be understanding! I will try my best to have them in tiptop shape! As always thank you for your amazing reviews, follows, subs, and shares. Until Next Week!- DCP

**Chapter 30** : Stand

"My client is accusing Mr. Weasley of abuse and attempted murder. We ask the court to allow for only a week of preparation time for Mr. Weasley as this case is considered high profile due to the status of both my client and the accused. We also ask that Mr. Weasley be put on mandatory leave for the time being due to his connection to the Auror department. If allowed, both myself and Ms. Granger would request that no media have access to the trial to limit speculation and media reports," said Theo standing ramrod straight in front of the head of the Wizengamot.

The old man nodded and gestured to Theo, "Mr. Nott your demands will be discussed in a small recess with the rest of the Wizengamot before we agree to them. Any statements to add Mr. Young?"

The man sitting beside the Weasel rose, "Both myself and my client agree that press should be kept to a minimum. Of course we disagree with the one week time limit set forth by Mr. Nott as we should have ample time to gather our own witnesses to counter the evidence brought forth by Mr. Nott."

The judge flicked his wand and a countdown started to count down, "Myself and the rest of the Wizengamot will take a short thirty minute recess to discuss. Please step outside and remain until the alarm sounds."

Draco rose and caught Hermione's arm as she started to file out behind Theo.

He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Doing okay?"

She shook her head, "I'm quite nervous to be so close to him. He scares me so much. I can't not think about his behavior the day we were in the Ministry. I don't think I'll truly be relaxed until he is locked up."

Draco pulled her closer and snaked an arm around her back, "He won't do anything here Hermione. Not around all of us. And he can't get to you outside the Ministry. We won't let him."

Hermione sat down heavily on a bench outside the courtroom. Draco saw the heavy bags under her eyes and sighed. She hadn't been doing well since the encounter at the Ministry. She woke up crying nearly every night. She had taken to sleeping with him because of her fear. Everytime she woke up, he tried to soothe her back to sleep, but some nights she cried until she fell asleep from exhaustion. She told him she knew he couldn't get to her, but her nightmares told him otherwise.

He looked up from Hermione's face and scanned the small hallway. His gaze landed on a pair of cold blue eyes. Weasley was staring at him, no more like glaring at him. Draco pulled Hermione closer to him and the man glared at him even harder and grimaced at the arm holding Hermione. Draco shielded Hermione's face from the man. He didn't want her to see the coldness in the man's eyes. The man looked completely different from the gangly man he knew in school. The man sitting there looked hard, strong, and most of all unhinged.

Theo sat down beside Draco and whispered to the two, "I think our requests will be granted by the Wizengamot. They all know what kind of attention this case will attract, especially since Potter will be involved. The news is no doubt already out about this reading of statements today. We can expect a full front page write up in tomorrow's Prophet."

Hermione pulled her head from Draco's shoulder and looked at Theo, "If Skeeter gets her hand on this story, she is going to destroy me. She has never really forgiven me for what I did."

Draco looked at Hermione and cocked his brow at her, "Oh? And what did the Gryffindor princess do to that wench?"

Hermione ducked her head and played with a strand of her hair, "Well I may have locked her in a jar in fourth year after I discovered she was an unregistered animagus."

Draco's mouth dropped, "A jar? You put her in a jar. An actual jar."

She gestured nonchalantly, "She deserved it. You weren't exactly innocent in that regard. I would have locked you in a jar if I could have."

Draco grinned at her sheepishly, "I was a right piece of shite that year. But even I couldn't deny how beautiful you looked at the Yule ball."

She blushed at him prettily, "It only took five hours to look that way."

He chuckled at her and held her tighter. He looked around Theo and saw the man still glaring at him.

Theo followed his gaze and frowned.

"I'm starting to worry that Hermione's fears are warranted," whispered Theo only loud enough for Draco to hear.

The three sat quietly in the hallway as the timer counted down. The man's gaze on the three never left and he felt uneasy. The man looked at Hermione like she was his. Draco hoped that the man's madness was not enough for him to attempt to do anything to Hermione. He was worried that if the man truly decided to take Hermione, there was nothing they could do to stop him. Madness made men do things that seem impossible. 

A loud alarm sounded in the hallway and the trio stood. As they returned to their seats, Draco gave Hermione a small smile and squeezed her hand hoping he could reassure the woman.

Chief Warlock Warren flicked his wand getting rid of the expired countdown, "We have deliberated on the condition you brought forth Mr. Nott. The majority of the Wizengamot have voted for your demands to be met. We will also be assigning members of the Auror department to both Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley due to the amount of media attention they will no doubt receive. Mr. Wealsey will be put on leave for the duration of the trial. Due to the nature of the trial, it is imperative that the start of the trial be as soon as possible. The defense will be allotted a week to obtain any evidence and witnesses they wish to bring."

A man in a set of dark blue stepped forward, "Mr. Zabini has volunteered to serve as the guard for Ms. Granger and we have assigned Mr. Cook to Mr. Weasley."

Warren nodded at the man and gestured for him to return to his seat, "Thank you Mr. Feeio. We will reconvene in a weeks time at 9 am for the opening arguments from the prosecution. Please submit all evidence and a list of witnesses the day before. Last minute witnesses and evidence can be submitted after the start of the trial, but it will be subjected to a wait period so the opposing side can examine it personally."

He glanced at a piece of parchment in front of him and continued, "Any party that consults with any outside sources including media will be fined heavily. Dismissed."

Once again they all rose and began to exit the courtroom. Draco tried to push his way to Hermione but he got stuck behind a particularly portly member of the Wizengamot. Once he saw a flash of bright red hair appear next to Hermione's silky locks, he tried to push through even harder. He managed to push himself around the fat man just in time to see Weasley letting go of Hermione's wrists and disappearing through the door. He grabbed Hermione around the shoulder and scanned her face. She was ghost white and shaking.

"What did he do to you Hermione? Did he say anything?"

She nodded her head softly and whispered to him, "He said he would kill all of you. Every single one of you for thinking you could take me away from him. And then he would kill me."

She buried her head in his shoulder and he steered her away from the courtroom to a more secluded area, "I'm scared Draco. Scared for you, Theo, Blaise...everyone. He'll do anything to get me back. I see that now. I can't let him hurt you."

He pushed Hermione away slightly and tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes, "Hermione Granger. Don't even think about it. He won't get you. He wants to intimate you. He wants to make you come to him. Don't give in. Don't do that to us. We love you."

He could see her eyes fill up with tears as she began to wrestle with what he said, "But.."

"No buts Hermione. Stay strong. We have the evidence and we have the witnesses. We just need you to be as strong as you can."

She nodded and gathered herself, "You're right Draco. He is simply just messing with my mind. We have the upper hand. But I do have a question Draco," she looked at him from underneath her long lashes, "When you said we love you, does that include you?"

He took her face into his hands and looked deeply into her eyes, "What do you think Hermione?"

She leaned forward and placed her lips over his whispering, "Yes."


	31. Rumors

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

**Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

**A/N:** Happy Monday! Well in my case it doesn't feel like Monday. I actually almost forgot it was Monday with everything going on! Just a reminder, I will start my moving out process next week (well everything is being moved this week, but we start our road trip next week), so please be patient with any errors or if I miss my Monday upload. Also, I got some reviews asking about the use of memories and veritaserum, I was waiting to address it in this chapter so I hope you understand why things are a little bit more complicated. We are nearing the completion of this fic, I am thinking about 9 or 10 more chapters until it is all done! As always thank you for your reviews, follows, subs, and shares! Until Next Week- DCP

**Chapter 31** : Rumors

* * *

_A Rift in the Golden Trio?_

_By Rita Skeeter_

_As reported last week, Ms. Hermione Granger is accusing her long time beau, Ronald Weasley, of abuse and attempted murder. While this reporter has been banned from the trial, an inside contact within the ministry has given this reporter an inside scoop. Among the witness for the defense are Harry Potter, George Weasley, and Draco Lucius Malfoy. It seems that Ms. Granger has support from both lions and snakes. This reporter has not been able to reach Ronald Weasley for comments on the tension between the golden trio. With this trial be the end of the golden trio which stood under the tyranny of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named himself. Tune in next week for a close up examination of the courtship of Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley._

* * *

Hermione balled up the newspaper and threw it in the fire. Everyone in the wizarding world had something to say about the trial. Once again she was receiving Howlers and threatening owls daily since the news came out. People were calling her a whore, an attention seeker, and a fraud. Draco had started to follow her everywhere so he could intercept the letters before she could. She was receiving letters of support as well, mostly from women who had been through the same thing. Those letters were ones that had kept her going.

She placed her hands on the side of her head and sighed. Today was the day of the official start of the trial. The whole lot of them had been working tirelessly the week after the opening statements preparing last minute details for their case. Things in the wizarding world were a bit more complicated after the end of the Wizarding War. The use of veritaserum had been banned in trial use due to the numerous ways to cheat it. Death eaters had found the majority of these ways of course, but the Order of the Phoenix had to deploy a few methods of their own to get themselves out of tricky spots. A counterpotion was easily brewed, and there was a simple spell that could also counter the potion. The use of memories was still in practice, but memories were so easy to tamper with. They were given to the Auror department to examine and determine whether they show markings of being tampered with. Because this took time, the memories were rarely ready to be used in the actual trial. She would be lucky if they were even used at all. Things worked more like a muggle trial in the new wizarding law system. Too many people had suffered under the bad system during the war. While the change was welcome, it made things more complicated.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, "So I see you read today's _Prophet_ already."

She looked down and say the shreds of the remaining newspaper in her lap, "That stupid bint Rita Skeeter. She is a terrible woman. She always has been. Everytime she writes an article about me, I end up getting howlers. I imagine this article will only increase the amount I've been receiving."

She bowed her head and continued, "I received a letter for Molly yesterday while you were handling some clinic business. She doesn't know what to think. She told me she noticed that her son was different, but she just attributed it to work. She said she wants to remain neutral to the whole trial. I think Harry must have talked to her. Normally she wouldn't be so level headed about things involving one of her sons.

Draco sat down next to her and took one of her hands, "Molly and Arthur are in a tough spot. No matter what, he is still their son. Don't worry about any of that today. All of us need to keep our heads straight. But most of all we need you to be strong."

She nodded her head, "You're right. I can't let any of this get to me. Is everyone nearly ready?"

"Nearly. The Ministry has arranged a port key. It'll transport us right outside the courtroom so we can avoid any reporters in the main lobby. Unfortunately Weasley has a port key as well at the same time."

"Oh don't be such a mother hen Draco. She'll be fine," said Blaise as he stroud through the room.

Theo popped from behind Blaise, "She'll be surrounded by all of us. He won't even be able to see her if the tallest of the group block her from view."

Astoria walked in and placed her hand on Hermione's shoulder, "Draco has a right to worry you two. This day is going to be hard. She is going to be asked questions that are going to be tough to answer in front of people."

Luna walked up beside Astoria and gave Hermione a dreamy smile, "Perhaps we can form a sort of human shield. Too bad cats aren't allowed in the court. Kiri would protect you as well."

"She's got Harry and me by her side. My brother won't be able to see her around us glaring at his stupid face."

Harry walked in behind George and gave her a big smile, "You got it 'Mione. We will be there every step of the way."

Hermione looked at everyone in the room and smiled. She was so lucky. Just having them with her gave her a feeling of security.

Theo cleared his thought and tapped his watch, "About time for the port key. Blaise you got it?"

Blaise stepped forward and brought out a large hat, "Hands forward everyone. Hermione get closer to the middle. Draco, George, and I will flank you to cover you from view. And here we go, 3...2...1…"

Hermione felt the pulling in her stomach and she closed her eyes. A second later she felt her feet touch a solid surface and she opened her eyes. Here she was again, back in front of the courtroom door. She kept her eyes forward and walked into the courtroom. She heard whispers at her back, but she kept her face held high and took her seat next to Theo. The Chief Warlock looked at her and gave her a small smile. She look the smile as a good sign and began to help Theo organize his notes.

The Chief Warlock flicked his wand and the doors to the courtroom shut, "Ah yes, good morning everyone. Today we have the case of Hermione Granger versus Ronald Weasley. We have present the full court of the Wizengamot to preside over the trial. Will both parties stand?"

Hermione rose to her feet and the judge continued, "Please sign the document before you. This is an oath stating what you say in this room will stay in this room. A great number of changes have transpired in the wizarding world, but there is still a small enchant on the paper to ensure your adherence to this rule. Each parties memories have been submitted. The Auror Department will be studying them for any signs of tampering and will submit their full report."

After both parties had signed, the warlock gave a wave indicating them to sit, "Now, during this trial you will be presenting your case to the Wizengamot before you. After all evidence and witnesses are called, there will be a vote on the innocence or guilt of the accused. Should the accused stand guilty, there will be another hearing on the terms of the accused sentence. Let's begin. Mr. Nott you have the floor."

Theo stepped forward and faced the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, Chief Warlock, my client is accusing Ronald Weasley of abuse and attempted murder. The evidence and the witnesses brought forward today will show how much she suffered under the hand of this man. Not only was she abused, raped, and mistreated until she was nearly dead, she was forced to have an abortion as the man's abuse would not kill the her and the child. The evidence will prove that Ronald Weasley is a sadistic man who nearly killed the brightest witch of our age."

Theo bowed to the crowd and sat down next to Hermione. She took his hand and squeezed.

"Mr. Young, your statement."

The lawyer stood up and faced the crowd as Theo had done, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Chief Warlock, today you will hear evidence against my client. This evidence is merely rumors and speculation. You'll find that Ms. Granger has fabricated this trial in an attempt to ruin the reputation of my client. Furthermore, the witness she will be calling are not only cowards, but some are the sons and daughters of Death Eaters. My client is innocent and the so called brightest witch of her age is acting out of jealousy."

The lawyer sat down and began to shuffle his papers. She glanced towards the other table and her eyes fell on him. He looked at her and gave her a small smirk. Her blood ran cold and she snapped her head back to the front of the room. She heard the chattering of the crowd behind her. She heard her name being whispered. Her face reddened and she dropped her head.

Theo turned and whispered into her ear, "He has nothing else to defend himself with. This is good. It means that he knows that he has nothing but that defense. We will break him."

"Order in the court please. Mr. Nott you may begin calling witnesses."

Theo stood up and brush a wrinkle out of his suit, "The prosecution calls Mr. Draco Lucius Malfoy to the stand."


	32. You

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

**Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

**A/N:** Happy Monday everyone! I'm currently writing this from the passenger seat of my packed car. Today I started my road trip across the US! And in less than 13 days, I'll be on my way to Korea! Its a bit hard to write and edit on the road but I'm determined to never miss my Monday upload! Wish me luck on my journey! As always thank you for the reviews, follows, subs and shares! Until Next Week! - DCP

**Chapter 32** : You

Theo paced around the chair in the middle of room. The courtroom hadn't changed much since Draco had been in it last. The chair was still in the middle of the room, directly in front of the Chief Warlock. Thankfully this time there were no manacles to rattle menacingly at him. The rest of Wizengamot was behind him leaning forward to catch his every word.

"Before we begin question. Let the record show that Mr. Malfoy is a certified Healer both in the Wizarding and Muggle world. He runs a successful private clinic dealing with female issues. Now please describe your first encounter with Ms. Granger Mr. Malfoy."

Draco shifted in the uncomfortable seat, "My first correspondence with Ms. Granger was before I even knew who she was. This is normal in my line of work. Client's often send anonymous letters to me directly to avoid any complications about their requests. My first official meeting was at her appointment."

Theo stopped in front of him, "And this appointment was for…?"

"She had indicated in her correspondences that she wanted to rid herself of a pregnancy."

"Your notes indicated that you conducted a physical examination which is standard in your practice. Did you notice anything unusual during your appointment with Ms. Granger?"

Draco sat up straighter, "I did. She was in terrible shape. Her body was covered in bruises and her genitals had injuries consistent with rape or rough sex. I noted their placement in my notes. Healer code in the Wizarding world is more of a don't ask environment so I left the subject alone."

Theo turned to the Chief Warlock, "I have submitted the full report that Healer Malfoy wrote up that day. You can see for yourself the extent of Ms. Grangers injuries listed there."

The old man nodded, "Continue Mr. Nott."

Theo turned back to Draco, "Did you have any suspicions about Ms. Granger's condition after the appointment?"

Draco nodded, "I did. I owed Ms. Granger for her help to me after the war so I wanted to make sure she was okay. I am well aware of Ms. Granger's personality and it's hardly likely that she was involved in rough consensual intercourse."

"And was she okay?"

"No. She wasn't. On the night of the Ministry Winter Ball I discovered her beaten, raped, and nearly dead."

Theo started pacing around Draco again, gesturing widely, "And what did you do Mr. Malfoy after you found her nearly dead?"

"Before she lost consciousness, she explicitly asked for no Auror involvement. I took her to my personal flat and worked with my houseelf Bee to begin to heal her. She was in such bad shape that she took weeks to recover fully."

Theo faced the rest of the Wizengamot, "And when she confided in you, who did she name as her attacker?"

"She named Ronald Weasley."

Theo waved his hand at the Chief Warlock and sat back down.

Young stood and made his way to Draco, "Mr. Malfoy, why didn't you go to the Aurors?"

Draco looked at the lawyer, "Patient confidentiality Mr. Young. Healers are not required to involve Aurors if their patients ask them not to."

Young started to pace around Draco like Theo had done, "And why should we trust anything you say Mr. Malfoy given your past?"

"Objection. Mr. Malfoy's past has nothing to do with this case. He was cleared of all charges," said Theo.

The Chief Warlock nodded at Theo, "Mr. Malfoy's past should not be discussed nor should anyone else's be in this case. Good or bad."

Draco could hear the whispers of the Wizengamot behind his back. It seems that Young's comment about his past got the reaction he wanted regardless.

"No further questions."

The Warlock waved away Draco, "You may take a seat Mr. Malfoy. Your next witness Mr. Nott."

"I'd like the call Mr. Harry James Potter to the stand."

The room erupted in series of loud whispers. Theo had planned out his witnesses carefully. Though Potter had very little pertinent information to the trial, his presence that would cause a stir in the crowd. Having him on their side boded well. Draco looked over to Weasley. By the murderous glare on his face, he knew it as well. Potter's mere presence nearly assured a conviction. Who would argue with the chosen one? Draco smiled to himself. Hermione would be truly free soon. He was nervous about what they would become, but he was excited to have helped her through hell and back.

Potter pushed back his hood that obscured his face and dramatically made his way to the stand. It was Theo's decision to disguise Potter just enough to keep the crowd focusing on Draco. Plus, Potter like to be a bit dramatic.

"Mr. Potter, did you notice anything unusual about Mr. Weasley before your…..vacation from Wizarding society?"

Potter sat up straighter, "To be frank, when I told Ron my plan to take a break from society, he went a bit mental."

Theo paced around the chair, "Let the record show that Mr. Potter's break is not widely publicized. It doesn't need to leave this room that the Ministry was using polyjuice potion to give the illusion that Mr. Potter was still in Wizarding society. That's another case for another time I do believe."

The Chief Warlock nodded, "Disgression with be used with this as well Mr. Nott. Do continue."

Theo turned to face the crowd, "And when you returned to society, how did you find Ms. Granger?"

"She looked terrible. When I left, she was her healthy, normal self. I came back to an broken down woman. When she told me what happened, I was in disbelief. I had a hard time coming to grips that my best mate could have been so severely hurt by my supposed other best mate. But then I thought on it. Ron has always been a little unhinged. No doubt my leaving pushed him further."

Weasley pushed himself up and slammed his fists on the table, "You son of a bitch! You don't know shit."

"Mr. Young please keep your client in check."

Potter continued, "I regret leaving. I could have stopped that monster from hurting my best friend. I hope you rot in Azkaban. I have nothing else to say."

Potter stood up and made his way back to the crowd. Before anyone could grab him, Weasley broke free from his lawyer and grabbed Potter.

"You fuck. You were supposed to be my best friend."

"You lost that privilege when you laid a hand on 'Mione. Go to hell," spat Potter.

Weasley managed to land one blow onto Potter before a stunner from the Chief Warlock's wand struck him. Draco rushed to Potter and set his nose with a quick episkey.

Draco leaned forward and whispered, "Excellent show Potter."

Potter smiled at him and cleaned the blood from his hands and shirt with a quick flick of his wand.

The Chief Warlock flicked his wand and a sharp rap rang from it, "Due to this outburst, I do believe it's best to take a quick recess. Mr. Young I suggest you revive your client and get him in order. He will be held in contempt of this court after that barbaric display of force."

Draco pushed through the crowd and grabbed Hermione's arm lightly, "We are doing well."

She nodded and they made their way outside of the courtroom.

Hermione made her way towards Potter and grabbed his face, "Are you okay Harry?"

He waved her off, "Malfoy fixed me up great 'Mione. It barely tickled."

She huffed, "You are stupid for provoking him Harry."

He grinned and pulled her into a hug, "You can blame Theo. His little snake mind had that completely planned. He knew that he was doing."

"You are lucky I consider being called a snake a compliment Potter," said Theo.

Draco leaned forward, "So, Hermione are you ready to take the stand?"

Hermione looked down, "Honestly? No. I'm terrified. But I have to do this."

Draco embraced her in a quick hug, "You are such a strong woman. You can do anything you set your mind to."

She gave him a smile just as a bell rang signaling the end of the recess.

George clapped Hermione on the back, "Give them hell Hermione."

They all filed back into the courtroom.

"Due to the outburst of his client. Mr. Young will question Mr. Potter at a later date. Mr. Nott, your next witness."

Theo rose, "I call Ms. Hermione Jean Granger to the stand


	33. Revenge

Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

Warning: This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

A/N: Happy Monday everyone! Please forgive me that the last few updates are a little later than usual. I'm in a different time zone! As for next week's chapter, it will probably be a day late as most since I get to Korea late on Monday! And it happens to be around a 12 hour difference from my current time zone. So when I post from Korea, I will be doing it wayyyy earlier than usual. I'm pushing to get the whole story finished while I'm on the plane so I can have an easier time as I am getting settled. I have a review that I want to address, someone asked about dementors. Most stories agree that dementors, after the war, would have gotten the boot. So Azkaban is more like a muggle prison system! I hope that clears any questions up! Thank you to everyone for being patient with all my moving and stuff! As always, thank you for the reviews, follows, subs, and shares! It means so much to me! Until Next Time! -DCP

Chapter 33: Revenge

Hermione rose slowly and took a deep breath.

This was it.

She has worked so hard to even be in the courtroom. If she had known last year that she would be here, she wouldn't believe it.

As she neared the chair, she squared her shoulders and raised her head. She would answer whatever questions Theo and Young threw at her. No matter what. She had a feeling that Ronald's lawyer would spin them in a way that she didn't wouldn't like.

She sat down and Theo stood directly in front of her. Immediately she relaxed. It felt as if it was just him asking the questions rather than a faceless man circling the chair throwing questions at her.

"Ms. Granger, how long have you know Mr. Weasley?"

"Since first year at Hogwarts."

"And have you always been on good terms?"

She fidgeted in her seat, "In Hogwarts, we had tiffs that normal friends have. I'd say Ronald and I were more at odds with each other than myself and Harry."

"When did you relationship turn to something different?"

"I'd say it started shifting when we were on the run, but we solidified it after the Battle of Hogwarts."

Theo gestured to Ron, "Now as your boyfriend, how did Mr. Weasley treat you?"

Theo has run her through the questions he was going to ask in court and she knew he was going to start asking her more tricky questions.

"Things started out perfectly normal. But when Harry left, things started going downhill. He...he changed."

"And how precisely did he change Ms. Granger?"

She steeled herself, "It began with verbal abuse. He would tell me I was worthless and such. It soon moved to more violent abuse. But it was small. A punch here or slap there. This last year though, he escalated."

Theo turned so her face could be more visible to the crowd, "And how did it escalated?"

She turned to look at Ron, "I was raped nearly everyday. I was frequently beaten. And when I was with child, I had to make the decision to abort a child because I did not want to bring a child into the world that he was in. He nearly killed me on the night of the Ministry Ball and from what I understand after he raped and beat me, he went back to the party."

The room was devoid of any sound. She stared at Ron, daring him to say anything.

Theo went back to the table and sat down, "No further question Chief Warlock."

The old man was pale and his voice shook as he spoke, "Um, yes. Mr. Young?"

The middle aged lawyer began to pace around Hermione, "Ms. Granger did you love Mr. Weasley?

"Well I did for a time. I would say within the last year the love has faded."

"Why didn't you report anything to the Auror Department?"

Hermione began the play with the end of her hair, "You know as well as I do, there are no laws in the Wizarding World that prevent spousal abuse. Even if I did report it, nothing would have been done. Plus, Ronald works within the Department himself."

The lawyer stopped behind her, "And if there are no laws surrounding abuse why are you bringing this to the court?"

She raised her head high, "I am bringing attention to my plight in order to help other witches and wizards who are going through a similar situation. No one needs to go through this."

"Ms. Granger, you are aware that Mr. Weasley had dilliances beside you?"

"He made no secret about it."

"And why didn't any of these other women come forward?"

She could hear whispers around her, "I'm not sure. Perhaps we should ask Lavender Brown? Oh wait, she's dead."

The court erupted in conversation. It was particularly nice how she said it, but it was effective. She thought of the dead woman. She would get revenge for her. This was for Lavender. A woman who died under the hand of the tyrant sitting there before her.

The lawyer sat down defeated, "No further questions."

The Chief Warlock looked at her wearily, "You may return to your seat Ms. Granger."

Hermione rose, but a strong arm pushed her back into the chair. Time seemed to stop. When she was pushed back, her hair had flown into her face obscuring her view. She heard a body hit the floor and screams.

She fought with her hair and looked down. Draco was at her feet covered in blood.

She screamed, "Draco."

She fell to the floor and held his head in her lap.

"No, no, no. No not like this. Draco. Its okay. Its okay. They can fix this. They can."

She glanced around looking for who had fired the spell at him. Her eyes landed on Ron who was being restrained. Setting down Draco's head gently, she picked up the wand still grasped in his hand. She felt the warmth on her fingers and smiled. She pointed it at Ron.

"You. You held me for so long because you thought you owned me. You, Ronald Weasley have made the worst mistake in your life. You hurt the best thing that has ever happened to me."

Ron struggled against the men holding him, "You fucking bitch. You don't care about that snake. You'll come crawling back to me. They always do. Look at Lavender, she came crawling back. I'll do the same to you as I did to her. I'll have to say, she wasn't as good as a fuck as you were little kitten."

Hermione walked closer to the man and reared back. Her punch, while not the strongest, landed true. Blood began gushing out of his nose, covering his face.

"That was for Lavender, you sick son of a bitch."

She felt hands on her shoulder pulling her away, "Come on Hermione. Draco needs you."

She crumpled into Blaise and let him lead her away, "What happened Blaise?"

"Weasley somehow got the wand from that shit lawyer of his. Draco saw him just as he pulled in out and pointed it at you. He flew over to protect you."

Her heart dropped. He protected her once again, but this time, he was hurt.

"Is it bad Blaise?"

Blaise looked down and her and she saw the pain on his face, "I don't know Hermione. I don't even know what he used on Draco. Let's get you to St. Mungo's."

Hermione felt the tears streaming down her face. She couldn't lose him. She hadn't even been able to tell him how she really felt. How much she cared for him. How much she wanted to kiss him, hug him, do other things with him. Most of all, she wanted to tell him that she loved him.

Barely even noticed where Blaise was taking her, they wove through the Ministry. Once they both hit the lobby, flashing lights of cameras hit her face. She didn't care if they took pictures. All she cared about was Draco.

When they reached the apparition point, Blaise took her arm and they turned together. As she spiraled away, she felt a sob rack through her body. While she had gotten revenge on Ron, he had enacted some on her as well. But if Draco did not make it, Ron would be facing more hand just a punch in the nose. He would be facing her and everyone that stood behind her.


	34. Shh...

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

**Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

**A/N:** Happy Monday! So I'm a terrible person. I missed a Monday upload. I got to Korea last Monday, and this last week has been insane. I've been some place everyday and it seems like I have so much to do and so little time to do it. I am really going to try my best to finish this out on a timely schedule and never miss an upload again! Thank you for understanding! Also thank you for all the reviews, follows, subs, and shares! Until Next Monday! -DCP

**Chapter 34** : Shh...

* * *

_Golden Trio, Golden Gone?_

_By Rita Skeeter_

_The Wizarding World is in an uproar after Golden Trio member Ronald Weasley turned a stolen wand on Hermione Granger. The reformed Draco Malfoy took a curse for Ms. Granger, landing him the critical care ward at St. Mungo's. No word on his condition has been released. Mr. Weasley has been detained at Azkaban for the time being until the trial can resume. Theo Nott, legal representation for Ms. Granger, had revealed that Ms. Granger has been officially named part of the Black Family and is now the official heir to the family's assets. Mr. Nott has also informed the court that according to ancient Wizarding law, Mr. Weasley has violated that statue of harm against a woman. As Mr. Potter is Ms. Granger-Black's paterfamilias, he has also filed charges against Mr. Weasley. Mr. Weasley has also been put forth as a suspect in the murder of Ms. Lavender Brown. This reporter sees a long stint in Azakan for the disgraced golden trio member. More on the story of Mr. Weasley's heinous activities continued on page 7..._

* * *

Hermione put down the Prophet and sighed. While the article was favorable to their cause, she still didn't like being in the public eye. People who has previously sent Howlers were sending apologies. Theo and Blaise had been collecting the letters in her stead as she hadn't left the hospital since she had arrived.

She looked back to the man in the bed. His face was deathly pale and his breathing shallow. She brushed the pale blonde hair off his face and laid a hand on his cheek. It had been five days since Draco had taken the curse meant for her. Healers still hadn't been able to discover the spell used on him. Hermione had every book on curses piled around her, but even she had no idea what Ronald had used on Draco.

The healers told her that Draco was making small steps to progress, but she wasn't so sure. The senior healer in the ward had told her that if she had taken the curse, she would have died instantly because of her still weakened condition. Hermione couldn't help but feel guilty.

If Draco died….

She would never be able to forgive herself.

She leaned forward and rested her head on the bed beside Draco's hand and began to absentmindedly playing with his fingers. The healers told her that it might help him wake up if she touched and talked to him.

"Hermione?"

She jerked awake. She must have fallen asleep. Her research had kept her up and her worry over Draco made sleep difficult.

She turned towards the voice and saw Blaise standing the door frame.

She turned back towards Draco and picked up his hand again, "Hi Blaise."

"Have you been eating?"

She shrugged, "Theo has been bringing me bits and pieces, but I've had no appetite."

"You saw the Prophet today?"

She nodded her head slowly, "For once Rita Skeeter painted me in a favorable light. No doubt that's due to the Black family name being attached to me now."

She felt a hand on her shoulder, "Any changes?"

She shook her head, "None since yesterday. The healers can only guess that his body is trying to fight off whatever dark magic Ronald used."

"The Auror department has been going through all the cases Weasley worked on. We thought perhaps he learned something from some of the dark wizards he brought in. Also, there's something I need to tell you. Do you think you can hear it today?"

She felt her stomach drop, "I can take it Blaise. Perhaps I already know what you are going to say."

The hand on her shoulder squeezed and let go, "We found five other murder cases involving women that he can be connected to. It seems he is not new to killing. All the trials are going to be combined. It's not just you against him anymore. It's much bigger than that now. You did it Hermione."

She laid her head back on the bed and felt tears dripping down her face, "I felt it you know. I thought he might have hurt other people. But I didn't know for certain. Why didn't he kill me? I wonder that you know. Some days it felt that he was going to, but he would clean me up and let me heal myself up enough to go to work. Would he have hurt those other women if he had killed me? It's all my fault."

She felt Blaise's hand on her head, "Hermione, he is a psychopath. He would have hurt those women no matter what. Nothing is your fault. Everything lies upon that piece of shit. Never you. Be strong Hermione. Be strong for Draco. He needs you. I know how much you care for him."

"Oh Blaise, what if I don't get the chance to tell him how I really feel? What if…. What if he…."

"Don't say it Hermione. He'll beat this. He has a lot worth living for."

Hermione sniffled and dried her eyes on her sleeve, "Thank you Blaise. I don't know what I would do without all of you."

"Astoria and Luna are going to come by later with food. Eat will you? Draco would have a fit if he knew how sick you look."

"I wish I would have killed him Blaise. I really do. I was this close. I could have you know. I've never wanted to kill someone before. Even in the war. But when I picked up Draco's wand, I truly wanted to. I felt the rage rise, I had the spell on my lips. Am I a terrible person Blaise?"

"No Hermione. If you had done it, we would have all understood. I'm sure you would have gotten away with it, but he deserves to be tried fairly. Not matter how terrible he is. He needs to be brought to justice for everything he did."

Hermione nodded, "You are right Blaise. I know you are. He deserves a trial, then he deserves to rot in Azkaban until he dies."

"We may need you to look at photos of the women and see if you recognize any of them. I know you said he was never secretive about his affairs."

Hermione nodded, "I can do that Blaise. I want to help in anyway I can. I was thinking how lucky I was that we were never married. Things might be even more complicated."

"You're right. Get some rest Hermione. And seriously, make sure you eat."

She lifted her head off the bed and gave Blaise a small smile, "As long as it's not Luna cooking, I'll eat anything they bring."

Blaise gave her a smile back, "She is a terrible cook isn't she. I'll see you later Hermione."

Hermione gave him a small wave and turned back to Draco's form. She looked closely and noticed his breathing was even more shallow than it was earlier.

"Blaise….."

Draco's form began to convulse on the bed.

Hermione screamed, "Blaise! Get a Healer!"


	35. Gone

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

**Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

**A/N:** Happy Monday! Only a few more chapters left. Things are winding down in the story. I'm finding it hard to write because I have been so attached to this story. This is my first fanfic and I really poured my heart and soul into it. I know some people haven't been receptive to the themes in this story. But, I truly wrote this story because I needed to. One the other hand, I have received so much support from people about their struggles with themes. It seems that certain things in this story are becoming even more relevant due to the current climate in the U.S. Since I will be living in Korea for three years, at times I feel disconnected. Normally I am quite cheery in my notes in the beginning of my chapters, but my heart is heavy. To everyone who is struggling, just know that this author cares about each and every one of you. And to all of you, thank you for supporting me and this story. Every single review, share, follow, and sub makes me feel like my writing is worth something. Until Next Week! -DCP

**Chapter 35** : Gone

Hermione looked at herself in the mirror. Darkness circled her eyes and her skin was deathly pale. She reached up and repinned the black veil to cover her face. She brushed out her black dress. She fingered the material. It reminded her of the dress she wore to the funeral of all the dead after the war. This funeral seemed to hit her even harder than that. She felt as if her heart was ripped out a thousand times over.

She stared at herself in the mirror. She had lost weight again. She had lost the healthy look in her face. She heard a small meow at her feet. The kitten wove herself between her legs. She reached down and stroked the silky fur. A small tear fell from her eyes and landed on the kitten's fur. She brushed it away and stood up.

She had to make it through today.

No matter what.

She gathered her bag and toed her shoes on. She grabbed her wand and felt its weight in her hand. She still felt joy when she held the wand. She had nearly cried when Blaise had returned it to her. She stowed it in her bag. She took one last look in the mirror and felt more tears welling in her eyes.

She hated black. She despised the color. Yet, a funeral demanded black, even a wizarding one.

She turned on the spot and landed outside a funeral home. The smell of death and stale flowers hung around the entrance. She didn't want to go in. She knew she could do it, she had been through so many funerals before.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. She leaned into the touch.

"It's time Hermione."

She let Astoria guide her into the depressing building, "It doesn't feel real Stori."

The hand on her shoulder moved to clasp her hand, "I know Hermione."

"It doesn't feel like he is dead. It feels like he is still there you know?"

"I know. I still feel that way about a lot of people. Like they never truly left."

Hermione turned and clasped Astoria's other hand, "What do I do now Astoria?"

Astoria reached out and brushed the tear off her cheek, "You live."

Hermione released her hands and nodded her head slowly. The small lobby was nearly empty, save for a few people milling around. She passed them, acknowledging them with a small nod. She picked a bench near the back of the room and sat. She breathed in the smell in the stale flowers and nearly gagged. She looked down at her hands and her mind began to stray. Every time she went to a funeral, it reminded her of the all the others she had been too. Her parents, the dead of the war, Dumbledore, even her cat when she was five. She was tired of crying, but the memories brought forth more tears.

The bench creaked and a hand reached out and took hers.

She recognized the hand, "Hi Harry."

"How are you doing 'Mione?"

She squeezed his hand, "As good as I could I suppose."

"Do you miss him?"

She nodded, "I miss who he was."

Harry leaned into her shoulder, "Me too. The three of us got into so much trouble did we?"

She grinned, "We did. What went wrong Harry?"

She felt him shrug, "I don't know 'Mione. A combination of things I suppose. We can never know how it happened, nor can we blame ourselves. We can remember who he was before and who he turned into. How's Draco?"

"Better. Once I found out what he cursed Draco with, he recovered quite quickly. He is still on bedrest though, much to the disappointment of him, but to the relief of everyone else. We all thought he was gone."

Harry chuckled softly, "Like he would die on all of us. Little stubborn prick."

Hermione elbowed him, "Harry!"

A few of the others in the funeral hall looked at them with disapproving looks. Hermione smiled at them and mouthed 'Sorry'.

She turned back to Harry, "Hush. This is a somber event."

"Come on 'Mione. You need some humor. You look like shite."

She glared at him, "A lot has happened this week Harry. You don't look so great yourself."

Harry rubbed the stubbled along his cheek, "Well the whole revealing myself to the wizarding world was a bit of a shock. Kingsley is lucky that I am keeping his secret for him. I miss the beard and long hair though."

"You look better without it. I know someone else likes you without all the homeless chic vibe you had going on."

Harry reddened, "Think it would be too soon to ask her out 'Mione?"

"Astoria has been waiting for you to ask her."

Harry smiled, "Good. Now I just need to grow the balls to ask her. Oh 'Mione, did Blaise ever say anything about the incident?"

Her smile dimmed and she sighed, "No. The Auror's ruled it as a suicide. But, there are rumors that a group of angry parents took matters into their own hands. Too many girls died under his hands and it made a lot of people angry."

"He didn't get a proper trial. How do you feel about that?"

She shrugged, "I don't know how I feel to be honest. A bit mixed I suppose. He won't get to hear the final words of a judge telling him that he is going to be punished for his crimes. But, he also got a punishment that is somewhat suitable for what he did."

Harry nodded, "I know what you mean. I am mourning the man he used to be. Not the man he became."

"Have you talked to Molly or Arthur?"

"Some. They are still trying to process everything. This hasn't been easy for them. Ron was their son. To hear everything that he did was a lot for the family. They loved him and that love just doesn't go away. Molly had a breakdown. Arthur is calling for a more throughout investigation on Ron's death. The Ministry is trying to be distance themselves from the whole thing."

Hermione nodded, "Wouldn't you? One of the Ministry's Aurors being a serial killer is a bit of a stain on the department isn't it?"

"A bit is an understatement. They fired the head of the department. Asked me to take over as head."

Hermione turned fully to look at Harry, "Did you take it?"

Harry shook his head, "No. I told them to give it Blaise. I don't want it. McGonagall offered me the DA teaching job. I accepted."

"Harry that's great! Wait a second. Does this have anything to do with the fact that Astoria accepted the Charms position?"

"Never. Now hush. I think it's starting."

She stuck her tongue out at the man and faced the front of the room. She surveyed all the redheads in the room. Her eyes focused on Molly. The woman was a shell of herself. Her former full figured was gone and a skeletal woman was in her place. The rest of the Weasley's were pale and haggard. Hermione made a mental note to have a long talk with the family. She still loved them like her own, but now was not the time for her to speak to them.

A man in black climb the steps to the podium in the front of the room.

He cleared his throat and began, "Good morning everyone. We are gathered today to say goodbye to Ronald Weasley."


	36. Forever

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

**Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

**A/N:** Happy Monday! Every chapter now feels so hard to write! Why do fics have to end? Oh, yeah so we can write new ones! I'm debating whether I want to take a break or get right into the next fic. Decisions, decisions. Anyways, hang on for a few more chapters at most! Thank you for the amazing reviews from last week. I felt so much love for my fic and the themes I chose to include. You all are just so wonderful! So as always thank you so so much for your amazing reviews, follows, share, and sub. Until Next Week!- DCP

**Chapter 36** : Forever

"You may return to your seat Ms. Granger."

Just as the Chief Warlock uttered those words, time seemed to slow. He saw Weasley reach into the pocket of his lawyer's pocket and pulled out the wand that lay inside. Draco shot up and managed to push Hermione out of the way as Weasley flung a curse towards her. He felt the curse slam into his body and he crumpled. Warm liquid was oozing out of his chest and he felt his body weaken.

He struggled to remain conscious.

He heard Hermione scream his name and felt her gentle hands cradling his head.

He heard her say, "No, no, no. No not like this. Draco. Its okay. Its okay. They can fix this. They can."

Then he blacked out.

**...**

His mind swayed between semi consciousness and unconscious. He fought with his body to remain present, but he shifted deeper down. He felt his body start to seize and his mind shook with each convulsion.

Deep in his mind he heard Hermione scream, "Blaise! Get a Healer!"

He tried to fight to stop the shaking, but he couldn't. His mind drew ever deeper into the void. He had almost touched the endless void, when a hand shot out and grabbed his. The hand pulled him up into a light so bright, it blurred his vision.

As his vision cleared, he focused on his surrounded. He was at a train station, Platform 9 ¾ to be precise. The platform was devoid of any life, yet the Hogwart's Express waited on the tracks, puffing away.

"Ah. Draco, my boy. How nice to see you."

He turned towards the voice and locked eyes with twinkling blue eyes.

He fell to his knees and looked into the lined face, "Professor Dumbledore…..I…."

The man reached down and grasped one of his hands, "Oh my boy. I know."

The hand tightened and pulled him off his knees, " But I…."

The blue eyes twinkled at him, " No need to worry. Everything you have done since the war has been forgiveness my boy. I never needed it anyway. You were a boy, one that was pushed into a place he shouldn't have been by an insane wizard who played your father like a puppet. I know what he did to your mother, and for that I am truly sorry that I did not step in for you."

Tears trickled down Draco's face, "But...I never got to say sorry to you."

"Yet, you have said it to nearly everyone else. You have atoned for your sins Draco and then some. You are a different man and you have proven it to the world. You have done your house a service. You have shown that from the ashes anyone can rise anew."

Draco swiped at the tears on his cheeks, "But sir. Where exactly am I?"

Dumbledore smiled at him, "You are at a junction my boy. You are truly done good in this life. If you wish to board the train, you'll head to a good place."

He cocked an eyebrow at the old man, "And if I don't…."

Dumbledore smiled, "I think you know where that goes. I am sure she is waiting for you."

Draco turned and saw a dark blue door appear.

"You did well. She needed you. And the world needs her. She is truly a good person, one of the few. Take care of her Draco."

Draco turned from the door, "Does everyone see you when they are ready to leave?"

Dumbledore smiled, "No. Only the few that need to. Perhaps you can tell Mr. Potter I said hello?"

Draco nodded, "Of course. Goodbye sir."

Dumbledore waved and disappeared in a crack. Draco turned back to the door and pushed it open.

**...**

"Hermione! Hermione! Come quick. His eyes are fluttering!"

Draco struggled to push his lids open. The bright light burned, but he fought to focus on the face in front of him.

Draco looked into bright green eyes and whispered, "Dumbledore said hello."

He saw the man's mouth drop and his eyes grew wide in surprise. A body shoved the man out of Draco's field of vision.

"Oh Draco, I lost I had lost you."

"Hermione," he whispered.

He felt Hermione grab one of his hands and hold it close, "Do you remember what happened?"

He nodded his head weakly, "Where…?"

"In Azkaban. Away from anyone he can hurt. Forever."

A man in a white coat placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder, "Ms. Granger, can I see you in the hallway? I need to talk to you about Mr. Malfoy's overall condition and discuss recovery treatments."

Hermione looked at him and caressed his face, "I'll be back soon. I'll send Blaise in. Him and Theo have been worried sick. We all have."

He nodded and he squeezed her hand before letting go. He watched her leave the room and motion to a waiting man. He smiled as Blaise approached the bed.

"You little prick. We thought you were a goner. Can't do that shit to me mate. If I had to look at Theo trying to be stoic for a minute more, I would have gone insane."

"It's nice to see you too Blaise. Is it true? He's locked up?"

Blaise frowned, "Yeah. Too bad those Ministry fuckers got rid of dementors. If anyone deserves a little kissy kiss, its that prick."

Draco shuddered, "I don't particularly miss their presence myself."

"Mate, I need to talk to you about something. You can't breathe a word to this to anyone."

Draco nodded, "Of course Blaise. What is it?"

Blaise sat down on the chair by his bedside and leaned in close to his ear, "The Ministry planning a vote for Weasley's execution. But they are planning a secret execution."

Draco's eyes widened, "A secret execution? But why?"

"All the methods of execution were pretty much banned after the war, but the Ministry is receiving a lot of backlash from the wizarding community over Weasley. But it is a bit hard to put to death a war hero isn't it?"

"But Blaise...That's practically murder. The man hasn't even had a proper trial… And what about his family? The man is a fucking prick, but that doesn't mean his family deserves this."

Blaise hung his head, "Kingsley has made his stance clear. We were made to make a vow of silence. Only way I can tell you is because of a loophole. You can't do anything to stop it so the silence will remain."

Draco looked towards the door, "When?"

"Two days."

"How?"

"They are going to cover it with saying a group of distraught family members took justice into their own hands, but officially they will say it was a suicide. He will be executed by a lethal dose of dreamless sleep. Humane at least."

His eyes scanned the form of Hermione gesturing at the Healer, "It's going to hurt her."

Blaise sighed, "I know Draco. You know you can't tell her. She can't do anything, none of us can. She'll hurt for a bit, but perhaps after that she can truly heal."

Draco looked at the still too skinny form and nodded, "Maybe one day, I can tell her. But not now. Sometimes, things are meant to be secrets. Forever."

"Rest up mate. Look at the _Prophet_ in two days."

Draco weakly reached up and grabbed Blaise's hand, "Thanks mate. For everything."

Blaise grinned, "Anything for my best mate."

Hermione came rushing back into the room, "Thanks for keeping him company Blaise. How are you feeling Draco?"

Blaise raised a hand and left the room, "I'm okay Hermione. I no doubt will be in tip top shape in no time."

Hermione pressed a hand to his cheek, "I know you will. Healer Jordan is going to put you to sleep while he does some recovery spells on you. Is that okay?"

He nodded, "Stay with me?"

She smiled at him, "Of course."

The Healer waved his hand and Draco drifted off.

**...**

Two days later the news came via the _Prophet_. Hermione cried for hours. Yet he held the secret in his heart as he stroked her head.

Sometimes secrets needed to be kept.

Forever.


	37. End

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

**Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

**A/N** : Happy Monday! (Its technically Tuesday here, but I got caught up with tons of job interviews so forgive me!) Here we are my dears. This is the last chapter... Kidding of course I am doing an epilogue. My question to you, would you like to see how the other pairings go? But, can you believe there is only one chapter left? Because I can't! They story has been going for 37ish weeks. Wow. I don't even think I wrote my graduate thesis for that long. Next chapter, I'd really like for everyone to leave a review on their thoughts on the whole of the story. What I can do better for my next story and so on. Constructive criticism only please! Thank you to all the kind reviews, all the follows, subs, likes, and shares. Thank you all for sticking me with through the journey of my first fic. Until Next Week and Until the Last Chapter- DCP

**Chapter 37** : End

The funeral was a somber event. Hermione gave her well wishes to the Weasley's, but did not linger. Her presence felt wrong. Maybe one day when she had healed she could be with all the Weasley's just like old times, but for now seeing all the red heads bowed in sorrow was too much for her.

She turned on the spot and popped back into Draco's flat. She couldn't bring herself to leave the place. She was too attached to everything about the place. Kiri and Bee made her so happy. Happier than she had been in years. And of course there was the main reason she didn't want to leave, Draco.

She had grown so attached to everything about him, from his humor, to his mannerisms, even his smell. She wondered if the attachment was strictly because of her abuse. She had read up on abuse victims from the numerous books in Draco's library. It seemed that abuse victims could get quite attached to their rescuers. Yet, Hermione didn't feel that her attachment was purely that. Sure, she did feel differently about the man because he rescued her, but she knew that in her heart she loved him not because he rescued her.

No, she loved him because of who he was, who he became. She no longer saw him as the bully from school. She saw him as the man he had become.

Bee's fussing drew her out of her thoughts. She smiled at the little house elf. She was dressed in another little confection she had spent her monthly wages on. No matter how much Hermione teased the little elf about her dress choice, the elf still stood my her choice of too many ruffles.

"Misses Hermione is sad?"

She looked down at the little elf, "Just a little Bee. How's Draco?"

The little elf grimaced, "Oh Master is not happy about Bee making hims stay in bed. Says he needs to comfort Misses Hermione. I forces him back in bed with a little elf magic and make hims eat soup."

Hermione smiled, "He needs rest. Thank you Bee for keeping him in bed. Somethings are better alone."

Bee smiled at her and made her way back to the kitchen. Hermione shook her head smiling at the retreating elf. Even in pink ruffle dresses, the little elf was a force to be reckoned with. She made her way to Draco's closed door and knocked.

"Draco? Are you awake?"

She heard a shuffling and a muffled reply, "Ah yes come in."

She opened the door to see a rather ruffled looking man climbing back under the sheets, "Didn't Bee tell you not to get out of bed?"

Draco looked out of the door, "Umm, yes. You aren't going to tell her are you?"

Hermione chuckled and shook her head, "Of course not. I'm not cruel."

"So how was everything. Are you okay?"

Hermione sat on the bed next to him, "Honestly, it was difficult. This has all been difficult. You can harbor so much hate towards a person, but when it comes down to it, you don't want them to die. Yet, I just keep thinking he got what was coming to him. He hurt so many people. I'm sorry I didn't want you to come. It's just...I needed to do it alone. Harry came and talked with me as well. I think perhaps we just needed each other."

Draco reached out and grabbed her hand, "He did hurt a lot of people. I'm glad you had Potter there with you at least. Even if you wanted to do it alone, sometimes just having someone to support you makes things easier. You and Harry remember his good parts the best out of everyone, including his family. It wasn't easy today, but it'll get easier with time. Things will get better Hermione. I know they will."

She nodded, "They will. But Draco…"

"Hmm?"

"I've been meaning to ask you something. Is that okay? I know you are still a little under the weather."

Draco turned to look at her fully, "I feel loads better. Go ahead."

She began to fiddle with the ends of her hair and lowered her head, "Would you mind if I stay here? I can pay rent of course. Thankfully Ronald never knew that I had my own vault. I am thinking about going into healing. I put an application in yesterday and I just...ummm."

Draco put his hand lightly on her cheek, "You're rambling love. Of course you can stay and no please don't pay rent. I don't need, or want your money. It's yours. I'm so happy you put in an application for the healing program. I figured with all the books you've been reading from my library, you'd put in an application. You'll be a fantastic mind healer."

Hermione looked up at him, "Wait how did you know I wanted to go into mind healing? "

Draco chuckled, "You've been making a dent in my mind healing and muggle psychology books."

Hermione blushed, "I do try to put them away, but Bee shoos me away from them."

"Hermione, I need to ask you something as well."

"Of course Draco anything."

Draco blushed and looked down, "Hermione can I court you? Umm, I know it sounds traditional and all but it would have been what my mother would have wanted. And we can go slowly of course. You can choose the speed of everything. I just want you in my life and…"

Hermione put her hand on his cheek just like his was on hers, "Yes Draco. Please court me. I want you to be in my life. I… I love you. I know it may seem too soon to say those words, but truly I do."

Draco stared at her for a minute then leaped up and engulfed her in a hug, "Oh Hermione. I've wanted to tell you how I feel for you for so long, but I didn't want to hurt you or make you feel uncomfortable. I love you so much. You have brought so much into my life. My life has changed for the better. I know I hardly deserve you, but truly know that I will do everything in my power to make you the happiest woman alive."

Hermione smiled and hugged him even harder, "Then it's settled then. Perhaps we won't take things as slow as you expect."

Draco pulled back and Hermione gave him a wink. Draco began to lean forward towards her…

"Oh Master, Bee has heard the news. A courting! Oh mistress would have been thrilled. Misses Hermione, you must let Bee pick out clothes for you. Oh you must!"

Hermione looked at Draco, "Umm perhaps we will go together to pick out clothes Bee. I don't look as nice in pink as you do."

The house elf brushed off her pink dress and smiled, "Oh Misses Hermione we will have to go shopping in Paris then. It was mistresses favorite."

Hermione smiled at the elf, "Okay Bee. Just tell me the day and we will go."

"Oh Bee is very happy. Now both of you be coming to dinner now. No arguments Master."

Draco sighed and releashed Hermione.

Hermione looked at him and mouthed 'Later'.

Draco perked up and leapt out of bed.

He extended an arm out, "Shall we my lady?"

Hermione took it, "We shall."


	38. Epilogue

**Disclaimer** : I own none of these characters, only the story built around them, J.K. Rowling has that pleasure.

**Warning** : This fanfic will have themes of sexual and physical violence, domestic abuse, rape, content of the sexual nature.

**A/N** : Here we are my friends. The End. This took a lot of me to write, so sorry for the time I took to write it. Thank you for coming on this ride with me. This was my first fan fiction. I never thought I would write it, much less actually finish it. I. hope you enjoyed my story. Here's to the next one! Until the Next Story- DCP

**Chapter 38:** Epilogue

Hermione stood in front of a worn gravestone, flowers dangling from her fingers. It had been ten years since he died. So many things had happened.

Everyone had found their happy ending.

Harry had finally married Astoria after years of building the courage to ask her. Hermione had been subjected to so many late night floo calls from both Harry and Astoria. Harry was always asking her advice to woo Astoria and Astoria would always ask her why Harry wasn't getting on with asking her to marry him. She had been so relieved when Harry finally popped the question. She could finally have the night to herself.

Blaise and Luna were expecting their fourth child. Luna wanted a big family and a big family is what she got. Thankfully Blaise had no problem with kids, in fact he had taken to fatherhood with a shining. Though he was great with kids, without fail he always managed to faint when Luna gave birth. Hermione always stepped in to help Luna as a swarm of healers tried to revive Blaise.

Theo and George were about to about their first child together. The two had gone through a lot of rough times. The Weasley's had taken a while to accept that George was gay. But now Theo was a part of the family. The Weasley's even threw the two one of the Weasley's famous wedding celebrations. Not an eye was dry at their ceremony.

Everyone was so grown up.

Everyone had moved on with their lives.

It seemed like only a few years ago, they had all been fighting a war.

She glanced back at the grave. She thought back to him from time to time. She always wondered what would her life would be like if he hadn't gone down the path he had. She always came to the same conclusion.

Even when Ronald wasn't mentally ill, they still were not a good match. She supposed that she knew that early on. Although she had suffered under his hands, it brought so many wonderful people in her life.

Absentmindedly she smiled and rubbed her round belly. And it would be one more soon.

A pair of arms snaked around her and squeezed her gently. She leaned back into the figure and sighed.

"Ten years today."

She nodded, "It feels both like a lifetime ago and like it was yesterday."

"Life feels like sometimes. It feels like yesterday that I first saw you spewing facts from Hogwarts: A History at anyone who would listen. I quite fancied you for a minute before you joined the lion's den."

She elbowed him in the ribs, "And then you were a right prat for years afterwards."

He chuckled into her ear, "And I still fancied you throughout. Boys are arses to girls they like. I nearly lost myself when you punched me in the nose. Nothing is sexier than a woman on a mission."

"Well you must have liked me quite a bit to enjoy a punch in the nose."

She leaned back and they both fell into a comfortable silence.

"Draco… Harry told me they discovered that wearing horcruxes can affect your mental stability. Combined with the Weasley's family history, it could account for what happened to him. Do you think I'm…," she trailed off and rubbed her belly.

Draco let go of her and moved in front of her, "Harry told me last week as well. He did a test on the two of you also. Ron's personality meshed with the horcrux. Yours and Harry's did not. That is why you two escaped pretty much unharmed by its influence. You don't need to worry. It didn't hurt you and it won't ever affect them."

Hermione wrapped her arms around the man, "I know, I know. I'm just emotional. You know how I am."

Draco rubbed her back softly and chuckled, "I know. I endured it with the last two didn't I?"

She rested her head on his chest as he swayed her side to side in a soothing pseudo rhythm that he knew she liked.

"Hermione. I think it's time for me to tell you about what happened to him."

She pressed her head deeper into his chest, "I know Draco. I've known for a long time."

Draco stopped swaying, "But… how?"

"Kingsley came to me, before it happened. He told me what was going to happen and ask me what I thought about it. I wasn't in the best place at the time, and I agreed to it. Sometimes I regret my decision, but most of the time I don't. The world wasn't safe from him. It was only a matter of him before he got out. Azkaban could only do so much. I know you kept the secret to protect me and I appreciate that you did. And I know that's the only secret you ever kept from me. You are quite apparent with your 'secrets'."

Draco hung his head, "I should have known. You know everything and everyone. I swear you have eyes in the back of your head. You must have gotten that either from the fake Moody or for McGonagall."

Hermione thrust her fist into the air, "Constant Vigilance!"

Draco shuddered, "On second thought. Lets just say you got it from McGonagall."

Hermione laughed, "Feeling a little ferrerty are we?"

Draco pointed a finger at her, "You better watch it Granger."

"I think you mean Malfoy. We have been married for nearly seven years."

Draco pulled her close, "You've got that right Mrs. Malfoy. Seven years of bliss."

Draco leaned in close and gave her a chaste kiss. Hermione grabbed his collar and pulled him in even closer.

A pop sounded to their right, "Master! Mistress! Master! Mistress! Little Miss is getting into the dirt and she not listening to Bee."

Draco pulled away and sighed, "I've got it."

Draco turned and popped out of view. Hermioen sighed and shook her head. Always an interruption. But perhaps it was for the better. Every time they had a moment without an interruption, they seemed to add to their family.

She looked once more at the grave and gave it a wave, "Until next time old friend."

She strolled back to the meadow feeling the long grass trailing on her ankles and fingertips.

She heard the sounds of laughter and peaks of white blonde curls blowing in the wind. Her son Oberon and daughter Astrid were circling around their father. Draco spun in a circle while blowing bubbles from his wand for them to chase.

As she walked further into the meadow she was bombarded by the small boy screaming 'mommy' at her. She picked him up and brought him to the edge of a picnic blanket set out on the grass. Draco cradled their laughing daughter to his chest. Draco raised his head and looked to her with love in his eyes.

He placed a hand on her belly and rubbed it affectionately.

Everything she used to dream about came true.

Everything that happened was for this.

Her happy ending.

The End.


End file.
